Debate night in breaking nation

The politics of fear seems small in the face of natural devastation.

Note: All American Doom subscribers will have access to our live chat of tonight’s debate, but I’m going to reserve comments for paid subscribers. It’s been a tough stretch here what with Helene knocking out power and cell service for much of the last five days. In addition to that, the amount of money that county boards of elections are asking us in order to provide records that would shed light on election denier activities is growing. We’re now into the hundreds of dollars owed in order to grab those very important communications. If you want to support these efforts, you can choose a paid subscription for as little as $5 a month or buy me a cup of coffee (or let’s be honest: ice). Thanks for reading.

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Been on the move a lot these past five days because Helene knocked out power in Savannah — power that has yet to be restored, oddly, on our side of the street and in very random corners of the city. So, it’s been hard to focus on all the developments in the battle over elections that are taking place in courtrooms across the country in addition to the fight to win November being carried out by both campaigns. I’ve spent more time with a chainsaw in my hands since Friday than a computer.

Of course, the campaign and electioneering fights feel very small when considering the death and devastation that this storm has unleashed on our brothers and sisters in North Carolina and elsewhere.

I know that there’s really no way to fully prepare for a natural disaster like Helene but reading what I have about her impact I can’t help but feel like this is a dark harbinger of things to come. It feels like we were unprepared, and that that unpreparedness cannot be separated from a government that is, up and down, very broken by the politics of fear. The unpreparedness also feels like a symptom of a collective, almost purposeful ignorance predicated on our desire to win culture wars instead of accepting reality. These are all big conclusions to reach in a moment where the flood waters are still raging, I know, but I don’t think it’s ever too early to start a discussion about where we’re heading.

I don’t have really any expectations for tonight’s debate other than a typical doubling-down of fear from JD Vance. Hopefully Tim Walz can meet the moment in a way that Democrats have largely failed to for the last 10 years when confronted with the unending onslaught of lies, chaos, and outright racism from Republicans. In Democrats’ defense, it’s hard to win a game when the other team isn’t even playing by the same rules.

I’m too tired and hot to come up with much more than that, although I’m sure I’ll have many thoughts to share once the debate gets underway. Join me — even if you also don’t have power.

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