Milton is an apt name for a storm, and the impact of them on paradise. The poet said it in “Paradise Lost” but last night’s storm has left much of what where it was, though covered with debris. The full damage inflicted is not yet known. There is talk of tornedoes and storm surge on the East coast of Florida after all the apprehension on what would happen in the west at places like Tampa, and there are millions without power.

The Production Meeting up here was under cool clear skies. The HQ building announced they were cutting off the “cooling” cycle on the chill water and turning on the heating coils, so we will stay warm in the coming winter. It is not dissimilar to the more partisan discussion of shutting off some the impacts of the weather, but we have been doing that since forever. The earthquake in Iran was an item of early discussion, since it might not have been natural and is another unknown.

In addition to noise about temperature, moisture and vibration there has been a recent flurry of media appearances and interviews by both the major candidates for that election thing in 25 days. One of them has stayed on the traditional stump while the other has emerged from dignified but distant isolation. Her current swath of public appearances has been termed a “wise” strategy to encourage the perception she is engaged on the issues.

The current President’s health is a factor. It precluded his continued candidacy, but not sufficiently to have him turn over the job. That has led to remarks tinged with a little ambivalence. There is a swirl about all that in the messaging in a personal way about the First family, so we will let it lie.

Open Labs claims internal, not mainstream, polling from six of the eight swing states is leaning for the Orange guy. Messaging strategy has adapted.

Insiders are claiming that since entering the race, the coordinated Harris campaign became the first to raise $1 billion in donations in less than a quarter- 80 days. We don’t know that the hyphens and zeros are correct, but it still seems like orders of magnitude are a little higher and headwinds will require more cash for the next three weeks.

The swirl of interviews has been energized. “60 Minutes,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “The View,’ “Howard Stern” and the podcast “Call Her Daddy” have all been featured. We have heard mixed reviews on how the questions went, but we have also either ceased watching or never did catch shows in real time. We never cared for the two guys or the ladies who have featured shows about what they think and are mystified about calling anyone “Daddy” these days.

Intensity is up on all the issues. Mr. Biden made his first appearance in the White House briefing room to remind the public of his Vice President’s role as a “major player” in many of the policy issues she is now campaigning against. Some of the purported insider talk is about conflicts between official and campaign staffs, and friction about the role of Bay-Area Californians Harris and Pelosi in helping his decision to depart the ticket.

So, we will see. That isn’t the only mystery in paradise. The Legal Beagles are again on the trail. SCOTUS has emerged from seclusion, pronouncing the Texas policy on abortion to be legal, even if more strict than Federal standards. In Wisconsin, there is a legal argument about what Gov. Tony Evers can do with his expansive veto power. The matter in question is whether he can lock in a school funding increase for 400 years.

It is speculated that the cause is the inadvertent loss of a ‘hyphen’ and a single ‘zero’ in the period of performance, which turned “2024-2025” into the year “2420.” There is some question about whether it can be fixed, or just endured until our great-great-great grandkids can figure it out.

For those of us who have voted, it is now just fun. Civic duty complete, the carnival can now be appreciated for the sheer spectacle of the glitter in motion.

Our thoughts are with those without power today, and speedy assistance to those in need.

Copyright 2024 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com