The View from the Hermitage, Day 199

Had I thought to write about my morning walk yesterday, I would have commented on fall's approach. No deciduous tree was clad solely in green; all had some hints of color. Leaves had not really begun to fall; no raking would have been necessary. This morning told a very different story. The trees were still mostly green; however, yesterday evening's briefly torrential rainfall had carpeted the shoulder and one lane of the road with mostly yellow and brown leaves. Fall has gotten a wee bit closer, it appears.

What can I say about last night's debate? Not much because I went up to bed at 7:00, answering the invitation of the family dog. I planned to sit in bed and read while I petted her, but by 7:30 we were both sound asleep, me in my bed while she was in her bed on the floor beside me. The husband said that when he checked on us at 8:00, neither one of us stirred even a little.

Older son had not planned to watch the debate, but did. His email sent on his way to bed post-debate noted Biden's good response to the final question about accepting the results of the election. It also noted that the debate overall was "a hot mess inside a dumpster fire inside a train wreck." He said that that statement was not his opinion but that of a CNN announcer, who turned out to be Jake Tapper. Even better was Dana Bash's comment that because she was on cable she could say that the debate was "a shit show." The excerpts I watched online supported those assessments. I have to say, though, that much of the blame should be placed on the shoulders of the moderator, Chris Wallace. Did he not have the means to mute one of the candidate's mic? 

As for HWSNBN's comments on white supremacy, could he have been any clearer about what his views are? He as much as invited the Proud Boys to take action on or after election day. His demeanor harkened back to his good people on both sides comment about August 12, 2017, in Charlottesville. (I used to have to tell people that I live in Charlottesville, Virginia; since August 2017, I don't need to say the state. People worldwide know of Charlottesville.) As for sending someone into each precinct as a poll watcher, as long as the regulations regarding poll watchers are met, there would not be a problem here. The precinct chair at "my" precinct is, I know, more worried about trouble breaking out outside between the Democrat and Republican contingents separated by only a sidewalk.

I saw a news note this afternoon that the bi-partisan committee that handles the debatesis looking into changing the format to keep things under at least a little control. Ideas from here include not having the candidates on stage together but in separate rooms or locations, with the other candidate visible only on a monitor. Each candidate could hear what the other one said but would be muted from making any interruption. 

Older son noted that he was impressed that despite all the back-and-forth, interrupted-or-not dialog, Biden never had a trace of the stutter with which he grew up. Older son said he thought that would have given the Republicans new ammunition in terms of trying to alter voters' perceptions of Biden. I commented that I hoped the young man who had spoken at the national convention was watching. A good example to see of someone having worked hard and overcome stuttering. 

Finally, while HWSNBN's family and staffers apparently entered the auditorium wearing masks, once inside they removed them. Jill Biden and Biden's staffers left theirs on throughout the evening. It's quite clear who is more concerned--correctly, I might add--with the seriousness of covid-19. Would HWSNBN change his opinion or action if someone close to him caught covid-19? That question assumes that he really cares about those who appear close to him.

Maybe I'll go to bed later on the night of the next debate. I could always turn in at 8:30 if debate coverage did not begin until 9:00.