While I’ve had similar thoughts, I have to wonder if the reverse is true. We’re seeing an uprising of joy and caring; something as equally infectious as the hateful, controlling rhetoric of the Trump-era Republican Party.

I think (hope) people see the two options and are drawn to the joy. Being angry is exhausting.

There is a lot of terrible out there we need to work together to solve. Some of it is sad, depressing, frustrating, wildly unjust-but we can be joyful in tackling these issues. Maybe not all the time, but then no one is ever one thing or one mood or one emotion. Nevertheless, a campaign of joy can make us realize there is indeed another way.

Looking at Trump’s tragic demagoguery and seeing what’s going on with the Harris/Walz campaign , it’s not hard to believe more and more people are thinking “you know what, I want that.”

So hearing PP using the same old poor-us, divisive, othering talking points begins to take on some of the same burden. It’s tired. It’s ugly. It’s empty.

One can dream right?