The Groundhog Day Election

[brooklynite]

Wake Up To Politics

Joe Biden has a comfortable lead in every poll. Coronavirus cases are surging. Donald Trump is downplaying the pandemic and criticizing his own public health experts.

Each of those statements is true — and dominating headlines — this morning, and each has been true on almost every morning since the general election began. Welcome to the Groundhog Day Election.

For months now, the coronavirus pandemic has frozen much of American life. With major get-togethers off the table, most of us have gone through the same social-distanced, Zoom-filled routine, day in and day out.

The presidential campaign is no exception. On one hand, the 2020 race feels like it has been one of the newsiest in recent memory — A pandemic! A Supreme Court vacancy! A hospitalized president! — and yet, at the same time, the daily rhythms of the race have barely changed since the nominees were crowned.

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1. "waaah, where's my horserace! where's the drama!"

the race has been consistent because the candidates are consistent.

biden has been consistently sober, normal, rational, capable, reasonable and decent.

donnie has been consistently mean, horrible, rotten, awful, incompetent, criminal, and cruel.


but what's interesting isn't the ups and downs in the daily polling or lack thereof. it's the seismic change of the entire race given the pattern of the last several presidential elections, where places like texas are now battleground states.