Last thread I'll start today: I'll admit I'm scared. 2016 is still very fresh in my mind.

[BluRay76]

10. Even this "short" election cycle still feels long

I don't think you should ever have to apologize for how you feel, and you aren't alone. I vacillate between feeling 2008 levels of hope and joy and optimism, followed by feeling the dread and nausea of election night 2016 (though admittedly, my baseline is closer to 2008 than to 2016).

I absolutely believe in our candidates - I think Harris and Walz have the potential to be a truly phenomenal influence in the direction of our country. And I believe that they are running an exemplary campaign, with very few missteps. I believe in the surrogates they are bringing in to help engage with voters, and I believe in the volunteers on the ground. We are truly, truly doing the things we need to do. I absolutely believe in how horrific the opposing candidate is - and that his running mate is even worse. And I believe in how slipshod their ground game is. It is very clear that they are doing nothing to appeal to independent voters.

On both sides, this is all about turnout. It's probably not even about "undecided" voters, because I'm not sure how many people are truly undecided between these two candidates. It's more about energizing those people who have lower enthusiasm, or those who have some enthusiasm but who face obstacles that make it harder for them to vote. Low enthusiasm voters might not have taken the time to read about policies, so campaigns have to spread the message about what they stand for. Harris and Walz are doing that. I have not heard a word about anything those other guys are actually *for*. Voters who aren't that energized, who are considering just skipping it, have to be energized and have to be informed about how they can cast their votes as easily as possible. The Democratic volunteers and canvassers are doing that. Those other guys are outsourcing their ground game and don't even seem to be able to consistently remember when Election Day is. And as for the obstacles - the ground game helps there, along with Marc Elias and his team.

Admittedly, Hillary was right about the deplorables who will support the fascist felon regardless of how clearly unqualified and dangerous he is (Hillary was right about a whole lot of things). It is truly an embarrassment that there are so many of them, and it's worrying that so many of them vote. However... there are fewer of them than there are of us. They are putting out biased polls and putting their thumbs on the scales of the betting markets to make their numbers seem larger than they are. While they're doing that, our side is getting the word out, keeping the enthusiasm up, and making sure our voters have the information they need to cast their ballots.

I'll be worried until January 6, at least some of the time, because 2016 (like 2000) was a sign that yes, sometimes the good guys don't win. But overall, I keep coming back to taking comfort in the knowledge that our team is running a spectacular campaign.