The writers at Saturday Night Live see the emerging Trump administration as ripe material. You know the drill. An old, obese, convicted felon with progressive dementia has won the presidency and starts surrounding himself with buffoons.

Although the president-elect doesn’t write much, he has a list of criteria to guide his selections. Nominees must be in your face, over-confident, inexperienced, 100 percent loyal to him, and have at least one skeleton in their closet.

 Such criteria for nominees ensure that, despite Trump’s personal decline, he will always consider himself superior to those who work for him. 

Since November 5, we have gotten a taste of the type of person who meets the criteria. People accused of sexual assault, with histories of substance abuse, who believe in conspiracy theories, and who don’t hesitate to call undocumented migrants garbage.

If Jeffrey Epstein were alive, one can imagine Trump appointing him to be Secretary of Education. 

Personnel decisions are not the only part of Trump 2.0 that is not funny. Have you read the social media posts of Trump’s new director of communications, former director of communications for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Steven Cheung? Mr. Cheung called Ron Desantis “a eunuch,” joked about President Biden needing his diaper changed, and ridiculed Nikki Haley for not ending her campaign against Trump when her defeat seemed all but certain. Cheung tweeted, “The Nikki Haley candidacy is just one giant masturbatory fantasy for Never Trumpers and Democrats.”

And Trump took time off from the task of building Trump 2.0 to attend a UFC fight — events where those lucky enough to be in front-row seats are sometimes splattered with the blood of bare-fisted fighters. Trump attended the event with Elon Musk (I don’t know if he was wearing an “Occupy Mars” t-shirt) and RFK, Jr. 

How many 78-year-old fans does “ultimate fighting” have? Will senior MAGA members start filling arenas? Will attendees get a choice between beer and Ensure?

The real comedy of Trump 2.0 will start when his underqualified team takes over on January 20, 2025. Screw-ups are all but certain, especially at the Departments of Defense, Justice, and HHS. And some may consider Tulsi Gabbard giving American secrets away to Russia funny. I don’t. And far from funny will be the damage that will be done to all parts of the U.S. government.

If we did not know better, we might believe that Trump remains so angry after being rejected by voters in 2000 that the retribution he promised to deliver, which will soon begin, will be directed against all of America, not just the justice system and media figures who criticized him. 

 J.E. Dean writes on politics, government, and, too infrequently, other subjects. A former counsel on Capitol Hill and public affairs consultant, Dean also writes for Dean’s List on Medium and Dean’s Issues & Insights on Substack.

President-Elect Trump is hitting the ground running. Just over a week after winning the election, senior appointments are being announced. Susie Wiles will serve as Trump’s Chief of Staff. Stephen Miller, a speechwriter and policy advisor in the first Trump administration, is returning to duty as Deputy Chief-of-Staff for Policy. Tom Homan, also a first-term veteran, will return as “Border Czar.” Miller and Homan are known as “immigration hardliners.”

South Dakota’s puppy-killing governor, Kristi Noem, has been named as Secretary of Homeland Security. If America is attacked by vicious canines, Noem will be ready.

A wealthy “property investor” with no diplomatic or government experience, Steve Witkoff, has been named special envoy to the Middle East. I wonder if Mr. Witkoff could show us where Syria is on a map. Forgive me, but seeking peace in the Middle East might be better handled by an experienced diplomat.

 And just last night, we learned Trump will have a “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, headed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. DOGE is the name of Musk’s favorite cryptocurrency. The new entity may not even be an official government agency but will be charged with cutting the federal budget by $2 trillion (over what period?) and identifying problematic regulations to get rid of. 

Neither Mr. Musk, a major beneficiary of federal contracts with Space X, nor Mr. Ramaswamy, have ever worked for the government, any government, at any level. Trump must have concluded both gentlemen are quick studies, just like himself.

And Pete Hegseth, described as an “anti-woke” Fox News commentator, has been nominated as the next Secretary of Defense. If you believe “wokism” is the number one national security threat to the U.S., be sure to send both Trump and Hegseth congratulatory notes.

Other appointments rumored include “Little” Marco Rubio as Secretary of State and Kash Patel, an extreme Trump loyalist who led efforts to fight Democrats’ investigations of Trump during his first term. Patel is under consideration for CIA director.

Eastern Shore residents (that should be all of us) worried about climate change should be particularly worried about Trump’s nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency, former Congressman Lee Zeldin. Politico commented: “At EPA, Zeldin will carry out Trump’s energy and environmental agenda, which includes pulling back Biden-era rules on climate and air pollution and potentially rescinding millions of dollars in funding for clean energy under the Inflation Reduction Act. And the administration is expected to take a more aggressive stance in challenging California’s autonomy in enforcing environmental standards that are more stringent than those set by the federal government — many of which picked up as models for more than a dozen other blue states.”

Other names circulating for appointments include right-wing extremist Laura Loomer, Jeffrey Clark, the former Department of Justice attorney who volunteered to help Trump overturn the 2020 election, and, of course, RFK, Jr. 

Did Trump learn nothing from the chaos of his first term? The clown cars 2017-21 have been replaced with buses. Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary? Will Sarah Palin be named Ambassador to Russia or Hulk Hogan as director of the FBI?

This Trump administration is already differentiating itself from the first. Trump’s first transition into the presidency was a chaotic affair. He had not expected to win in 2016 and was slow in beginning the challenging process of putting a team together. His inexperience, and reliance on advisors he did not know well, led to dozens of appointments that, diplomatically described, “did not work out.”  

This time, the Trump transition is much better organized. With help from groups like The Heritage Foundation, which authored the Project 2025 policy agenda, RFK, Jr. and Elon Musk, potential appointees are being better screened. There will be fewer surprises ahead. 

Loyalty to himself, his family, and to the MAGA movement are non-negotiables. Any appointee questioning Trump or the MAGA agenda will be fired. Trump is assembling an administration to pursue an agenda that he expects will change America and its future—a transformation of the USA into the United States of MAGA. That is worrisome.

Early policy initiatives, many likely to be launched via Executive Orders on Inauguration Day, seek to remove regulatory obstacles to fracking and additional carbon-based fuel extraction. Trump’s “Border Czar” is likely to start implementing the administration’s top priority—mass deportations of “illegals,” including use of the U.S. military to catch, transport, and imprison “illegals” while they are “processed” and deported. The process is likely to be brutal and controversial. 

Trump has not yet announced nominees for the Education Department or HHS. This suggests that his plans to end funding to schools “promoting transgenderism” are not his top priority, but don’t forget today is only November 13.

Since election day, a surprising number of friends and acquaintances have told me they stopped watching the news after the election. They remain in shock and are tuning out news about the transition. I find this sad. Fear is gripping large parts of America. Will many of these people leave the US? I hope not. Opponents of Trump and his policies are needed here to fight against his policies.

In coming weeks, as the shock of Trump’s unexpected win and Republicans controlling the House and Senate subsides, opposition to Trump will grow. Environmentalists, civil rights leaders, scientists, and defenders of the Constitution and reproductive rights will become vocal and will protest. Inauguration day will see organized protests that will grow if Trump implements promises made during the campaign.

For the next two years, Donald Trump will reign over a unified government. Only the election of a Democratic Congress, or at least one chamber of Congress, will put the brakes on the Trump Train. Work on the 2026 election needs to begin now.

Democrats know they lost the 2024 election. There will be no insurrection this year, but Democrats also need to remember that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz received 71.8 million votes-48.07 percent. There was no landslide. There is no mandate for Project 2025 and the rest of Trump’s evolving agenda.

Thomas Paine said, “These are the times that try men’s [and women’s] souls.”  He added, “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”

We are in for a hard conflict. I hope to live to see the triumph. 

 J.E. Dean writes on politics, government, and, too infrequently, other subjects. A former counsel on Capitol Hill and public affairs consultant, Dean also writes for Dean’s List on Medium and Dean’s Issues & Insights on Substack.

Votes are still being tabulated this morning as I write this piece, but, to my disappointment, it appears Donald Trump may have won the 2024 election. That is a tragedy for our country and reason to fear for the future.

Some will say the election is behind us and that it is time to accept Trump returning to power. This is a mammoth lift for many of us, given who Trump is, the things he said during the election, and his agenda. I’m not there yet.

Franklin Roosevelt told America in his Inaugural address in 1933, “We have nothing to fear except fear itself.”  Sorry America, with another Trump presidency, we have a lot to fear. 

Earlier this week, I wrote drafts of two editorials, but neither fit the apparent outcome of the election. The first anticipated a Harris win, my now-embarrassing prediction. It was titled, “Hallelujah! Now Let’s Get to Work.” The piece offered Harris advice on how to reunite America. 

The other piece, anticipating a narrow Trump win, was titled, “Tell Me It Isn’t So.”  That piece expressed concern about Trump claiming a win despite the final vote, commented that throughout the campaign, Trump “hasn’t been right,” and shared the worry that if Trump won, J.D. Vance likely would be a future U.S. president.

I closed my piece expressing the hope that if Trump won, he would change. I wrote that one thing might prove Trump-doomsayers wrong: “The nasty, racist, misogynistic, lying Trump who has polluted our airways for the last two years could change. I would welcome that change, but don’t expect it. A 78-year-old man with discernible mental deterioration will not want to sit in the White House to oversee implementation of the policy agenda outlined in Project 2025. Deporting millions of “illegals,” many of whom have been in the United States for years, is not easy work. Will Trump want to forego rounds of golf to personally design the “deportation camps” required to implement the plan?”

Trump’s victory speech earlier this morning included a lengthy encomium to Elon Musk, the billionaire who pumped millions into the Trump campaign’s closing months and who has been promised a job in the new administration. Trump’s untethered comments about Musk are reason to worry. It looks like Musk got his money’s worth.

Why did Trump win? With advance apologies to some Trump voters, let me suggest that many Americans were not ready for a Black, South Asian woman president. Other Trump voters bought into the nasty Trump campaign message that Harris was “low IQ,” a communist (remember “Comrade Kamala?”) or believe that Trump kept America out of wars through skillful diplomacy. I could go on, but Trump’s campaign took advantage of naïve and lazy voters and unleashed the weapon of mass destruction of aggressive lying, discrediting the mainstream press and appealing to our fears and prejudices.

Trump is now president-elect, according to Fox News and what I expect will be a growing number of other news outlets. That makes today a sad day for America.  We appear to have elected a criminal to the White House who believes “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate.”

In the coming days, we will read about Trump’s plans to dismiss pending criminal actions against him and to vacate his 34 felony convictions. He will also seek to end State criminal prosecutions against him. The “January 6 patriots,” or at least most of them, will soon be released from jail. 

I expect outrageous Trump political appointments, including RFK, Jr., Musk, and possibly the Federal Judge who dismissed the indictments brought against Trump for absconding with federal secret documents and handling them recklessly.  Will Judge Aileen Cannon be the next Attorney General? Given Trump’s top priorities, she would be a good choice.

I hope Trump does not follow through on his promises of retribution against Judges, prosecutors, the mainstream media, writers, and other political opponents, but expect it. The retribution may be executed subtly, but it will come.

Vladimir Putin is celebrating Trump’s election.  The probable president-elect has promised to end the war in Ukraine before Inauguration Day.  Yesterday was a sad day for Ukraine and democracy.  Trump is likely to hand a victory to Russia. 

I will also hope that Trump is not psychologically troubled as he has appeared on the campaign trail. I hope he remains healthy. The only thing worse than Trump in the White House is J.D. Vance.

The Apostle Paul in Galatians 6:7 said, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” I fear that America is about to reap what was sowed in the 2024 election. May God help us.

Let me close on a positive note: Angela Alsobrooks has been elected to the U.S. Senate. Congratulations, Senator-Elect.  

 J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant. He writes on politics, government, and, too infrequently, other subjects.

                                                             

 

What should we make of the Trump rally held at Madison Square Garden last Sunday? Tony Hinchcliffe, a comedian hired by the Trump campaign, opened with a slur against Puerto Ricans. Hinchcliffe, who goes by the name of Kill Tony, told the crowd: “There’s a lot going on. I don’t know if you know this but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”  

It has now been revealed that Hinchcliffe planned a second “joke” in which he called Kamala Harris a name that is obscene and misogynistic. The “joke” was cancelled when Trump aides saw it as it was being loaded onto a teleprompter. (If you want to know what the slur was, you will have to look it up yourself on Google.) 

Another speaker, business man Grant Cardone, implied that Harris is a prostitute.  He told the gathering, “Her pimp handlers will destroy our country.” Retired wrestler Hulk Hogan slandered Harris with a subtle joke about Harris engaging in a sex practice. Harris was also called “the anti-Christ” and “the devil” by a childhood friend of Trump’s, David Rem.

Trump aide Stephen Miller, who is expected to play a major role in a second Trump term, told the crowd, “America is for Americans and Americans only,” echoing Adolf Hitler, who told Germans, “Germany is for Germans and Germans only.”

These comments are only a sample of the hate and vulgarity showcased at the event. Some will say it is nothing new and dismiss it as campaign rhetoric. J.D. Vance commented after the event that Americans should “stop getting offended by every little thing in the United States of America, I’m just so over it.”

What is remarkable about the racist, misogynistic, and obscene comments made at the rally is that Trump and other speakers who followed Hinchcliffe did not condemn or comment. 

In events after the Madison Square Garden debacle, Trump had an opportunity to condemn the rhetoric. He did not. That suggests that Trump is comfortable with the comments. His campaign only disavowed Hinchcliffe’s comments after the news media highlighted how offensive the Puerto Rico comment was and speculated it may cost Trump votes.

Will the hate-filled event cost Trump the election? One can hope, but Trump may win the election because of the slurs and racism. The slurs–the ones on immigrants, Harris, and the Democrats—appear to have been intentional. Trump believes he has figured out that, with his encouragement, Americans will vote to keep immigrants out of America and vote for him.

I can imagine a headline that I hope not to write on November 6 (or whenever the election outcome is finally established): “Racism won Trump the White House, regardless of what you call it.” A subtitle could be, “White Supremacy triumphs.”

The New York rally is not the only news this week. There was also Jeff Bezos’ decision for his newspaper, The Washington Post, not to endorse a candidate. Bezos now claims that he was unaware that the Blue Origin CEO and another executive met with Trump the day the Post announced its decision. Blue Origin has a billion-dollar contract to land astronauts on the moon. Bezos’ explanation rings false. In an editorial in the Post, Bezos also claims that there was no quid pro quo with Trump. 

The crack Trump legal team is also already preparing legal challenges to challenge the 2024 vote. Sources say the legal challenges will be “better organized” than the failed 2020 efforts that resulted in defeats in all but one court case.

Finally, Trump wore a black and yellow MAGA cap and black suit with a yellow tie last week at two events. Black and yellow are the colors of the Proud Boys, a group that considered themselves “Trump’s Army” and played a major role in the January 6, 2021 insurrection. Coincidence? 

This is my last column before election day, next Tuesday. No one who reads my columns will be surprised to know that I will vote for Harris. If you have not already voted, let me tell you why.

Trump proposes a mass deportation of “illegals” reminiscent of the Nazis. If Trump follows through on his promise, he will create “deportation camps” to hold “illegals” pending deportation. I am against concentration camps. 

Trump is a racist based on his rhetoric. He calls migrants “animals” and worse.

Trump’s tariff proposal is nonsense, condemned by virtually all economists.

Trump denies climate change, an existential issue for the Eastern Shore.  He calls it “a hoax” and “a scam.”  

Trump is considered unfit by dozens of former Trump cabinet officers, military leaders, and political appointees. These people saw Trump in action. I believe them when they say Trump is a fascist who is incompetent.

Trump has promised “retribution” against his political and legal opponents, promising jail, commitment to insane asylums, revocation of licenses, and, in one case, execution.

Trump calls the January 6 insurrection “a day of love” and has promised to pardon January 6 insurrectionists. I watched the January 6 riot live.  It was not a “day of love.”  Incidentally, Trump also called the Madison Square Garden rally “a lovefest.”  

Trump is a serial sexual offender. Just last week, another woman came forward to disclose that Trump groped her in Trump Tower as Jeffrey Epstein watched.

Trump took top-secret federal documents when he left the White House, failed to secure them while in his custody, and shared them with people with no security clearances.

Trump, Bob Woodward reports in his new book, War, has spoken to Vladimir Putin seven times since leaving the White House. I suspect the conversations touched on the war in Ukraine and Trump’s promise to end the conflict.

Trump cheated on his taxes, as evidenced in New York Times reporting. 

Trump regularly engaged in business fraud, best exemplified by the 34 felony convictions in New York.

Trump shows signs of severe mental deterioration. Disagree?  Watch a video of one of his rallies.

Kamala Harris promotes democracy. She believes in climate change, helping the middle-class, and hiring qualified professionals in their fields. She supports NATO and has collaborated with President Biden to restore the credibility with its allies that the U.S. lost during the Trump administration. She also has committed to seeing that the bipartisan border bill, that Trump put the kibosh on, will pass.  Harris also supports women’s reproductive rights.

And one final reason I will vote for Harris: If Trump wins, J.D. Vance will be president before the 2028 election. Vance is every bit as unqualified to be president as the 78-year-old Trump, albeit for different reasons going well beyond his cat-ladies comment. 

As I finish writing this piece, Kamala Harris is making a closing argument for her election on the Ellipse before more than 60,000 supporters.  Harris’ coherent, positive, and civil speech contrasted her plans for the presidency with Trump’s.  She told the crowd, “On day one Donald Trump will walk in with an enemies list; I will walk in with a to-do list.”

Compare this event with the hate-fest at Madison Square Garden. Watch both videos on YouTube. Then choose between chaos and democracy.

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant. He writes on politics, government, and, too infrequently, other subjects.

                                                        

 

It is regrettable that Maryland is not a swing state. Billionaire Elon Musk has created a lottery to encourage voters to sign a petition that he believes will benefit Trump. The scheme may be illegal, but if Musk is true to his word, some lucky voter in a swing state will get $1 million every day between now and election day. Too bad none of them will be Maryland registered voters.

The Washington Post reported: ”Musk . . .  on Saturday announced that daily through Election Day, America PAC, the super PAC Musk created to campaign for Trump, will give away “$1M to someone in swing states who signed our petition to support free speech & the right to bear arms.”

Musk advertised his plan on X, his social media platform, and has already made payments. 

The petition reads: “The First and Second Amendments guarantee freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. By signing below, I am pledging my support for the First and Second Amendments.”

In Pennsylvania, in a special offer that ended on Monday, October 21, Musk paid $100 to each Pennsylvania voter who signed the petition and an additional $100 referral fee for persuading another registered Pennsylvania voter to sign. 

See the petition and Pennsylvania offer here.

What is going on? Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro thinks the plan stinks. He commented, “Musk obviously has a right to be able to express his views. He has made it very, very clear that he supports Donald Trump. I do not – obviously, we have a difference of opinion. I don’t deny him that right. But when you start flowing this kind of money into politics, I think it raises serious questions that folks may want to take a look at.”

Election law experts note that it is illegal to pay anyone to vote for a particular candidate or to register to vote. Musk’s offer appears to avoid those prohibitions—His payments, made through his Political Action Committee, are to sign a petition expressing support for two Constitutional Amendments, the First and Second, not to vote. It does not appear likely the scheme is illegal.

Musk is known as an advocate for the First Amendment, but why pay voters in swing states money to commit to support them? The answer is that Musk believes these voters will be more likely to vote for Trump. 

Musk’s support for Trump seems obvious. Elon Musk wants to go to Mars and is spending billions of his own money (he has more than $265 billion) to build rockets to get there. Unfortunately, the Federal Aviation Administration, environmentalists, and others have slowed down the development of Musk’s Mars rocket, called Starship.

My speculation is that Musk has secured a commitment from Donald Trump to “cut red tape” to expedite Starship and to support other policies favored by Trump, including blocking any attempt to restrict content on X or other social media platforms.

If my speculation is right, Musk’s PAC may be making an illegal contribution to the Trump campaign. Will that happen? I am no election law expert, but the theory sounds murky, at best to me.

More troubling than Musk doling out dollars in the hopes of bolstering the Trump vote in swing states is Trump’s promise to give him a position in his administration. Musk and his various enterprises are huge government contractors. I doubt Trump knows what “conflict of interest” means, but Musk, is better educated. (Note that I did not say more ethical.)

It is likely that inquiries into the Trump-Musk relationship will increase in the coming months, especially if Trump wins the election. Musk’s new, intense interest in politics is troubling, to say the least. Is Musk arrogant enough to believe he can buy his way around government rules and regulations? Yes. Is Donald Trump for sale? What do you think? If something looks like a duck and quacks like one, it probably is one. (I added that adage with Waterfowl Season in mind.)

Make sure you vote, preferably for the candidate who does not plan to curtail women’s reproductive rights, deport “illegals” in massive numbers, and crash the economy through an ill-conceived set of tariffs created to offset more tax cuts for the uber-rich and corporations. 

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant. He writes on politics, government, and, too infrequently, other subjects.

 

More than one Spy reader has accused me of being a “congenital Democrat,” a term that suggests that I am too close minded to contrast Trump’s proposals with those of his opponent. Some accuse me of “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” which, best I can tell, means that I detest Trump so much that I don’t recognize his admirable character and leadership. 

I have voted for good Republicans many times, and Donald Trump is not one of them. I have read at least a dozen books about Trump and a few written by him, including The Art of the Deal. I know Trump and see him clearly. He is flawed, delusional, a liar, and lacks empathy. He is not worthy of serious consideration for my vote.

Given who Trump is, I reject him. His character is rotten, or should I say lack of character. And you should reject him too, even if you are troubled by border security, want tax cuts, and believe Trump would do a great job keeping transgender women out of women’s sports.

Why is Trump unworthy of consideration for a second term as president? What are the character flaws that I find so troubling? Here are a few.

According to a New York judge, Trump raped E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room.

Trump ridicules people with disabilities. Remember his mimicking a distinguished New York Times reporter with disabilities?

Trump recklessly threatens “retribution” against his enemies including federal prosecutors and judges. Their crime? Indicting him and presiding over his cases.

Trump lies. The Washington Post has suggested the count is well over 30,000. Remember Trump’s first lie as president—that his inauguration crowd was larger than any in American history? It has been downhill since then.

Trump’s first term in office was chaotic. Cabinet level officers should not have to check their Twitter (now X) accounts to see if they were fired overnight.

More than a hundred people who worked in his administration refuse to vote for him again.

Trump disrespects Americans who were killed in wars. His former chief-of-staff, General John Kelly, says he called Americans who died in combat “losers.”  Trump also dissed John McCain for being a prisoner of war after his aircraft was shot down over Vietnam. Trump himself skirted military service because of alleged “bone spurs.”

Trump engaged in numerous affairs, including with a Playboy centerfold and a porn star, right after his youngest son was born. Trump’s affairs are his own business, but they reflect on his character. That is why these sordid episodes are relevant.

Trump cheated on his taxes. With the help of his CFO and others, Trump created shell corporations, falsely exaggerated losses, and conducted other accounting frauds to avoid paying taxes. 

Trump denies he lost the 2020 election. This bodes poorly for next month. Already Trump is laying groundwork to challenge the 2024 election results. That, by itself, should disqualify him for the presidency.

Trump summoned a mob to attack the Capitol and prevent the certification of Electoral College votes. That interference with the election constitutes a felony.

Trump said, “So what?” after aides told him a mob was closing in on Vice President Pence and threatening to hang him. 

Trump evidences severe mental decline. Just watch the entirety of one of his rallies. On Monday night at a Town Hall in Pennsylvania, for example, Trump stopped taking questions for 39 minutes to play nine songs from his play list. During the music, Trump swayed back and forth, his version of dancing. What was going on? Normal, mentally healthy people do not do this sort of thing.

In contrast to Trump, we have Kamala Harris. Had President Biden decided against running for reelection a year earlier, Harris might not have been the Democratic nominee. Today, she is performing well, but not well enough to satisfy all Democrats or to win over all independents. That is troubling because if you reject Harris, you either vote for Trump or do not vote. In either case, you are joining Trump’s anti-democracy club.

If voters take a hard look at Trump’s record and character, they should dismiss him out of hand. The same cannot be said of Harris. 

If elected, Harris may not prove to be America’s best president, but it is unlikely she will repeat any of the chaos, lying, treason, and grifting that are the hallmarks of Trump’s first four years in the White House.

This year’s presidential race should be about character, but for too many voters, it is not. That is why the race is still close. It shouldn’t be.

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant. He writes on politics, government, and, too infrequently, other subjects.

Earlier this week, I jotted down my expectations for the CBS-sponsored Vice-Presidential debate. I described J.D. Vance as arrogant, unprepared, and undisciplined. I described Governor Tim Walz as unflappable, noting that as a former high school teacher he could handle an unruly child.

Boy, was I wrong. The J.D. Vance who debated Walz last night was remarkably articulate and disciplined. He shook Walz’s hand and, after the debate, introduced his wife to Walz and his wife. He avoided name calling. Never once did he call Walz a communist or suggest that he quit his National Guard unit when it became clear it would be deployed overseas.

That is not to say that Vance was truthful in the debate or that he answered the moderators’ questions. Vance incredibly argued that Donald Trump saved Obamacare as president, failing to acknowledge that Trump campaigned to repeal it in 2016. He also tap-danced around a discussion of climate change, repeating Trump’s focus on jobs while effectively denying that carbon emissions are changing the environment.

On the issue of gun violence, Vance reiterated the Trump administration position that gun violence results from mentally disturbed people. He also suggested that illegal immigration contributed to the problem because violent migrants are importing guns. No evidence was offered in support of the claim. 

Walz responded to some of Vance’s misstatements, but frequently spoke in generalities. He repeated some Harris campaign slogans, things like “an Opportunity Economy” and, with only a few exceptions, did not directly challenge Vance. He also responded to Vance on several issues by emphasizing agreement with him. In doing so, he legitimized much of the Trump agenda.

The low point of the debate for Vance was the discussion of the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The discussion came towards the end of the evening. Walz challenged Vance on Trump’s actions suggesting Trump is a threat to democracy. Vance responded by suggesting that “censorship” by the Democrats was the real threat. That claim rang hollow.

Vance also boldly offered that there was a peaceful transfer of power after Trump lost the election (which Vance refused to acknowledge). Trump left the White House voluntarily on January 20, 2021—that, according to Vance—was the peaceful transition of power.

Walz’ low point of the evening came at the hands of CBS moderator Margaret Brennan. Minnesota Public Radio and others have recently challenged Walz’s claim that he was in Hong Kong during the student revolt in Tiananmen Square in 1989. He wasn’t. Brennan asked Walz to explain the discrepancy. In response, Walz offered a convoluted history of his own upbringing and expressed pride in his trips to China before admitting that he was mistaken. 

Vance did not have to add a word to the discussion. Walz had shot himself in the foot. The expression on his face during his response did as much damage as the response itself. 

After watching the debate, I wrote down why I thought Vance had won. 

Avoided name-calling. Never once did Vance mention communism or call Walz “dumb.”

Pronounced Kamala Harris’ name correctly.

Remarkably disciplined, rarely interrupting Walz.

Expressing agreement or at least a willingness to discuss policy on some issues.

Expressed sympathy for Walz after Walz mentioned his son had witnessed a shooting. 

Avoided attacking Walz personally on his military service or claiming that he was a coach. (Walz was an assistant coach). 

Carefully avoided repeating controversial Trump or Vance statements. 

Avoided contradicting Trump policies.

Smoothly brushed off past statements, such as calling Trump “America’s Hitler.”

Shook Walz’s hand at the end of the debate.

Vance was too slippery for either Walz or the CBS moderators.

So, what impact will the debate have on the election going forward? 

Nothing said in the debate is likely to materially change votes in November, but Vance succeeded in doing something that his running mate has been unable to do in recent months—sound sane and civil. Trump’s aides must have been ecstatic last night. 

I had hoped that the debate would be the forum where voters could see what an unqualified and dangerous politician Vance is. That did not happen and is unfortunate. 

The 2024 election remains close. Last night’s debate did nothing to change that. 

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant. He writes on politics, government, and, too infrequently, other subjects.

 

Two days in the 21st century live in infamy—September 11, 2001, and January 6, 2021. 

On September 11, 2001, two hijacked passenger jets slammed into the World Trade Center in New York, a third jet crashed into the Pentagon, and a fourth, possibly headed to the Capitol or White House, was brought down by genuine heroes into a field in Pennsylvania.

That morning was a beautiful September day, quite similar to those enjoyed on the Eastern Shore last week. I was at my desk in my office on Vermont Avenue in Washington, D.C., which was only a short walk to the White House. I was on a conference call with several bankers when one of them interrupted the discussion to say, “A plane just crashed into one of the Twin Towers.”  

The participants on the call were shaken. I adjourned the call and turned on the television in my office. I watched Katie Couric report on the breaking news events and saw the second Boeing 767 slam into the World Trade Center.

My coworkers in the office gathered around another television. Their concern turned into fear and panic when the third plane hit the Pentagon. An announcement was made shortly thereafter that traffic out of the city would be cut off. I encouraged all employees, fearful another plane would target the White House, to go home. 

Only two of us remained in the office. I did not want to get into my car to drive home because there was a mass exodus, and D.C. roads were overwhelmed. My other colleague and I continued working while keeping an eye on the TV.

Later that evening, roads leaving Washington were again passable. I went home, depressed by reports that thousands had died in the Twin Towers collapse and the Pentagon bombing. News reports showed endless clips of the World Trade Center buildings collapsing, first responders running towards the debris, and thick clouds of smoke covering lower Manhattan.

After 23 years, the terrorist attack of September 11 remains fresh in my mind. I am truly grateful that the U.S. has not suffered another attack by a foreign adversary. 

Only one other event in those 23 years has upset me as much as 9/11. It was January 6, a day that saw a once inconceivable coup attempt orchestrated by a sitting president of the United States. 

On January 6, 2021, I was no longer working as a lawyer in Washington. I was with my wife in Florida. When I walked into the room returning from an errand, I found her crying.

“You’re not going to believe this,” she said, “look.”  The TV showed an angry mob storming the Capitol, breaking windows, and using flag poles as spears to throw at police. I sat down–speechless.

As more videos of January 6 appeared in the following days, I recognized specific locations in the Capitol where I had worked decades ago. I recognized the tile floors, the window seats, and specific doors that had been battered. I cried.

On reflection, I recognized that before September 11, I assumed that U.S. security would always protect us from a foreign attack. I no longer make that assumption. 

And after January 6, I recognized how fragile democracy is. I no longer believe America is the globe’s greatest hope for democracy because too many of my fellow citizens no longer believe in it. I also realized that, but for the grace of God, Donald Trump would have succeeded on January 6. Maybe Mike Pence would have been intimidated into not certifying the election results. Maybe Pence, Pelosi and others would have been killed, clearing the way for Donald Trump to declare Martial Law, declare the election invalid, and remain in office as president.

All of us should reflect on both September 11 and January 6 this week. These two days of infamy remind us that freedom is not free, and democracy is not automatic. To preserve both, we need to do the work. That work is voting and voting only for candidates who cherish freedom and democracy and who see the Constitution as the best means of achieving them. 

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant. He writes on politics, government, and, too infrequently, other subjects.