In a discussion this week on the MSNBC program “Morning Joe,” longtime journalist Mike Barnicle was incredulous at the Republican Party continuing to platform Donald Trump — who is, of course, now yet again the party’s presidential nominee. None of Trump’s many legal and public relations problems resulted in any kind of systematic distancing by the party. This year’s Republican presidential primary wasn’t even seriously competitive!
“Today we have a damaged, delusional, old man who again might get re-elected to the presidency of the United States,” Barnicle said. “He is that close to it again. How did this happen? How does it happen that a man, who speaks the way he speaks — deranged, sometimes; delusional, sometimes. […] That’s who he is. How did we get here? How did the Republican Party get here?”
They were talking against the backdrop of Trump’s longtime animosity towards the late John McCain, who ended up a Senator at the same time that Trump was president. McCain passed away while still serving, and his Arizona seat is now held by a Democrat.
And now, McCain’s youngest son, Jimmy McCain, says that he is backing Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in this year’s race for the White House. Jimmy’s mother, Cindy McCain, already endorsed Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race, which Biden went on to win — notching a victory in Arizona as part of it. It was the first such win for a Democratic nominee in Arizona since the 1990s.
Meanwhile, Harris is apparently hitting the campaign trail — in terms of appearances at a rally or similar event before prospective voters — more than Trump is. Harris visited Michigan and Pennsylvania on Monday… and it appears Trump’s next actual rally isn’t until Saturday in Wisconsin, though he had a so-called “town hall” on Fox taking place before that. And Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), is visiting Arizona on Thursday.
