Swimming Pools

Tell you a lot

What I witnessed last night on ABC’s debate stage reminded me of scenes from our neighborhood pool this summer. We have two pools, side by side. One is a baby pool for the little guys to splash around in and the other is olympic size with a deep end and diving boards.

Donald’s performance reminded me of the kids who throw tantrums in the baby pool.

They don’t play well with others and hurl insults to try and get their way. If that doesn’t work they kick and scream. Sometimes the parents give them ice cream if they will shut up.

In the “adult pool” most of us just want to relax and have a nice quiet time. Sometimes we knock around a beach ball…or go watch the Birds or Ravens on TV at the tiki bar. But we also have a swim team who work out and train and compete at a high level. These folks are very impressive.

VP Harris struck me as someone on the swim team. Always trying to go faster and support the team.

My other take away is Trump only really wanted to talk about the dangers of Illegal immigrants and that he wants to deport over 10 million of them. When asked what his plan was to accomplish that goal, there was no direct answer…ever…even though he spent most of his time going back to that one issue, where he tries to instill fear about anyone brown from South of our border.

No one ever mentioned that he could not complete his wall in 4 years…nor that Mexico never paid a penny for it. Both were former campaign promises in 2016.

When asked if he regretted anything about the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol and not stopping it sooner…all he could say was that it was not his fault. I seem to remember him and his people like Banon, saying come to DC on Jan 6 it’s going to be a “big deal”.

The “battle flags” in the photos and video we have all seen would seem to indicate that the rioters were there for him, to disrupt the lawful counting of electoral ballots. Not to mention the co-ordinated work of the Proud Boys and other militia groups. VP Harris recounted her experience from the inside as all members of Congress were moved to safety.

As hooligans draped in Trump flags took over the Senate Chambers. The last time this building was breeched was by the British Army in 1814.

Not even the Confederates could pull it off in 1864, though they tried.

Thank God we stopped the Britts in Baltimore in 1814 at Ft. McHenry and repelled the invading horde, once and for all.

On what should be a serious occasion…a nationally televised debate for the Presidency of the US, Trump could not resist repeating his most recent bizarro claim about cats being eaten…which seems to have no factual traction at all.

One can only guess that this is his best attempt to deflect JD’s “childless cat lady” comments….I’ve watched a LOT of Presidential debates in my life. None have ever come close to that level of strangeness.

It was pretty obvious who the adult in the room was last night.

We know a little bit about world class swimmers here in Baltimore. My kids went to high school with one…and he trained just down the hill from where we live. We know what a winner looks like…and it’s not the guy having a tantrum in the baby pool.

I’ve never wanted to cast a vote so much in my life. Peace