Can you have joy in politics?

Is there a place for joy and happiness in politics? It’s not a question that often occurs to me. Laughter being the most disturbing sound you can hear from an MP. It never sounds quite genuine. More like the MP has been programmed by AI with instructions to “sound human’’.

But like every other political tragic, I’ve struggled to tear myself away from watching the Democratic National Convention this week. Yes, of course, there have been any number of sledges at their opponents Donald Trump and JD Vance (and they are easy targets) but the mood of the whole thing has been positively joyous. It’s kind of weird.

Part of that is because, just over a month ago, the Democrats thought the election was beyond them and Trump would return to the White House. President Joe Biden was clearly struggling and the thought of him trying to remain in the job until he was 86 was not tenable to American voters.

But after Biden did the right thing and stepped down, a wave of euphoria appears to have been unleashed among the party faithful. Kamala Harris has brought the optimism back.

Now, it’s dangerous to read too much into all the happy clapping and back slapping that goes on when preaching to the converted but Harris has now edged ahead of Trump in many polls.

It would appear Harris has the ability to drag out voters who were going to give the November election a miss, uninspired as they were with having to make a choice between two rapidly ageing white men. This looks particularly true for women and young people.

It’s possible that Harris more upbeat message about the future of the US will also inspire many to vote. Trump’s message is relentlessly dark. Fear and constant lying being his two main election weapons.

But Trump’s version of a decaying America, an America swamped by immigrants and crime, his demagoguery that he alone can fix it is starting to wear thin. He has been playing the same tune for 10 years and it may be Americans are ready for a new song.

And Trump is now the old man in the race. The man who looks like time has passed him by. His nonsensical ramblings fodder for every late night TV comedian. And the more Harris laughs, the more VP pick Tim Waltz spreads the joy, the angrier Trump and his cronies appear.

America has always seen itself as a positive, optimistic country. The kind of place where anything is possible. That Trump describes the country in such apocalyptic terms in some ways doesn’t suit that internal characterization.

Sure, he keeps banging on about making America great again, but his first term was marked by chaos and the world’s biggest ongoing dummy spit when he lost. A second will only be worse.

So who will win? Given the vagaries of the electoral college, which means the person with the most votes doesn’t necessarily win the presidency, it’s hard to be definitive, but let’s go out on a limb. It’s possible I am the only one reading this anyway.

Harris will win and win easily. Trump will deteriorate further as he realizes he’s going to lose again.  Optimism will beat pessimism. Joy will beat anger. Laughter will beat whinging. Harris will beat Trump.

On the book front, finished Graham Greene’s The Heart of the Matter. Don’t want to give too much away, but read it. Greene is a beautiful writer, takes you places that few others do. Will be going back to the bookcase to see what others I have.

Now onto journalist Vince Rugari’s Angeball to review for the paper. Sporting biographies can be a bit hit and miss, but thoroughly enjoying Vince’s work so far. Hardest bit is not skipping ahead to the chapters covering his time at Celtic.

Back in the Libby app, listening to Garry Disher’s Sanctuary. A lot of this one set around Adelaide, so that adds a bit of extra interest.