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2024 Election, Politics
Call It Character or Call It Likeability, But Harris-Walz Have It, and Trump-Vance Don’t
Many years ago, I worked on Capitol Hill and occasionally traveled with a Congressman, Paul Simon. The two of us joked about our names. I had nothing to do with Nixon or Watergate, and while Paul Simon was talented in many ways, he couldn’t sing. He was one of the finest human beings I have known.
Simon represented the Congressional District that included Carbondale, the home of Southern Illinois University. SIU was exceptional in its success in offering a high-quality college education to people with disabilities. Paul Simon’s interest in SIU reflected his commitment to removing legal and physical barriers that discriminated against people with disabilities.
I recently thought about Simon, who died in 2003, served in the U.S. Senate, and ran for President in 1988. It was Simon’s Senate election in 1984 that made me think of him. That year, Ronald Reagan won Illinois in a 13-point landslide. Simon, amazingly, also won, beating incumbent Republican Charles Percy.
How did Simon do it? The answer was charm and intelligence. Simon was folksy. He wore a bow tie. His wife had been a state legislator when he served in Springfield. In short, Simon won on the basis of character. A sizable number of Republicans who enthusiastically voted for Reagan also voted for Simon. They did so because they liked him.
Which brings us to 2024. Trump is disliked even by some of his supporters. Harris, to date, has managed to dodge the mudballs being launched at her. She is the more likable of the two presidential candidates.
Harris also chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to run with her. Walz, Republicans tell us, is a left-wing lunatic. The problem is that he doesn’t look or sound like one. He was a high school football coach. He served in the Army National Guard for 24 years. His wife is also a teacher. What is there not to like about this guy? He reminds many voters of their fathers.
Contrast Walz with Trump’s hand-picked running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, the author of Hillbilly Elegy, Vance has proven to be something other than someone voters can relate to. There is his disparaging comment about “cat…
