Month: August 2024

I have watched more of the Olympics this year than I have in quite a while. Part of that is circumstances beyond my control, but more than that they have been pretty darn entertaining. I find myself drawn into events that I wouldn’t have given any thought to only a few weeks ago.

The reason I drifted away from the Olympics is that they can be repetitive. You can only watch so many contestants gallop around the equestrian course while the announcers’ ooh and ahh over two second differences before the mind numbs. It is worse in the Winter Olympics where sports like luge or downhill skiing are so monotonous they have all of the excitement of a traffic jam, unless of course there is a crash.

The timed races, however, can be thrilling. The other day I found myself watching the 10,000-meter final – 25 laps around the track. I was about to turn it off at lap 3, when I became engaged by the strategy of the Ethiopian team, who took turns setting a pace they hoped would knock other runners out of the competition. Despite their efforts, an American runner stayed with them throughout. It was clear he was going nowhere. By the time there were only 5 laps left you knew a great ending was coming. The final kick, where some dropped back and others surged, put you on the edge of your seat. When the American runner managed to withstand challengers to win the Bronze – the first American medal in this event in over 50 years – it was all you could do not to stand up and cheer.

It’s not just the Americans that generate goosebumps. The charge by Frenchman Victor Perez on the back nine in the final round of the golf, where he went six under on five consecutive holes, was electric, and not just for the French. So was the Women’s 100m win by Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia, especially because her island is so small she has to turn around at 50m just to finish a practice heat (or so I heard). And there is something special about a country at war winning a gold, as did Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine in the High Jump.

Watching the games makes me want to live in a city hosting the Olympics, though that’s probably a ‘be careful what you wish for’ fantasy. Philly would be ideal as a host city, if it was part of an I-95 bid that included New York, Baltimore and Washington D.C. (The Amtrak Games?) Of course, if we did that New York would soak up all the big events as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Still, some Philly flavor would be a great enhancement.

The Inquirer posted its selection of Philadelphia specific events last Sunday which included some usual suspects like greased pole climbing, and some incongruous choices, like chicken eating and boxing on the Art Museum steps (Yawn!!). They missed out on some of the truly unique gems that Philly could offer.

For example, a 400m alley race would be terrific. Contestants would have to run across cobblestones, leap over obstacles, like discarded mattresses, and avoid the various unhoused sleeping in doorways. Competitors could also choose to ride an abandoned shopping cart, though there is always the danger that the wheels have been locked. Extra points could be awarded for stopping to give a hungry person a sandwich.

A Philadelphia bicycle road rally would be breathtaking. Cyclists would have to dodge the vans, cars and construction vehicles parked in designated bike lanes, while keeping an eye out for motorists running red lights and gunning through intersections. A special pedestrian medal could be added for those that can evade the Doordash motorbikes on the sidewalks.

A particularly fun event would be the stadium boo-a-thon, where pampered athletes would have to withstand non-stop abuse while trying to complete their tasks. Even though these would be summer games, snow could be imported to pelt the Olympic mascot, and Santa Claus too, if he dares show his face again.

Not all events would have negative connotations. A Reading Terminal marathon would call-on participants to sample food from each of the 30 or so food vendors. Old City Coffee stations would be available throughout, though contenders can opt for a smoothie, or some fresh-pressed juice from the Four Seasons Juice Bar (not to be confused with the more infamous Four Seasons Landscaping).

The finale could be a scavenger hunt locating Philadelphia specific items. For example, contestants would have to find each of the seemingly 40-some Benjamin Franklin impersonators and identify 20 of his inventions scattered around the City (no, he did not create the first cheesesteaks). They would also have to take selfies in front of 100 of the 4,000 murals adorning City walls. Finally, they would count how many people line up in a given day to take their picture with the Rocky statue in front of the Art Museum (if they can count that high).

Even if the final ceremonies were held in New York, Philadelphia would still be represented. Will Smith could come charging out of the crowd and slap Mayor Eric Adams. Jason Kelce would be there in full mummer regalia chugging a Victory ale. We would bring back Chase Utley to lead a F**k New York cheer. It would be glorious.

Well, I must end this now. Greco-Roman wrestling is coming on and while I have no idea what that is, I have to see the Zholaman Sharshenbekov (Kyrgyzstan) vs, Mehdi Mohsen Nejad (Iran) match. Go Zholly!!!!.             

This is why I rarely write about political issues. A few weeks ago, I got on my high horse and opined that we had to focus on issues and what the candidates would do when in office rather than their personalities. It was based on the assumption that we were stuck with the contenders for the Presidency that we had.

Since that ill-considered broadside, we had an assassination attempt that almost took out one aspirant, and the other quit the race. In other words, my argument that we should focus on the issues rather the people became passé almost as soon as it was published. While there are many conspiracy theories floating around both of these developments, few (OK, none) have mentioned this “coincidence”.

I should have known better. Rule number one of the Presidential race cycle is that the core narrative will change every two weeks or so. It wasn’t long ago that we were debating the impact of the Trump conviction, then it was the Biden debate debacle. From there we moved on to the assassination attempt. That didn’t last long before we faced mounting calls for Biden to drop out. Now all we can talk about is the ascension of Kamala Harris. And July just ended!!!!!

Let’s face it, in a sane world any of these developments would have been decisive. Not long ago it was unthinkable that we would elect a President that had been convicted of a crime. Nor would we consider a Presidential candidate who fumbled over his positions the way Biden did (Nixon’s 1960 debate performance had the eloquence of Obama by comparison). An assassination attempt could be counted on to generate the type of sympathy that could launch a candidate to the highest office (though it didn’t have that effect for Teddy Roosevelt, though it probably tanked Taft). The ignominious late-in-the-day departure of a candidate could be counted on to end a party’s chance to prevail.

Yet, you get the strong sense that all of these seemingly cataclysmic events are merely fodder for the chroniclers who will write up this campaign when it’s all over. Through it all, the polls have hardly changed – not that you can trust the polls. We are split and will remain split through November 5 and beyond.

Over the next 100 days there will be more of these “shocks” that the talking heads (as opposed to the writing heads, like me) will point to as game changing. There will be stupid comments, policy stumbles, scandals pulled from the distant past, and other seemingly meaningful developments.  They will get us chattering as if they meant something to the final outcome, but I doubt if they will.

What will swing the election? Who comes out to vote. We know that the Trump army of devotees will show up. Will those who hate Trump and everything he stands for come out as well, as they did in 2020? That is all that matters.

Frankly, it should be simple. There are more people who oppose Trump and his policies than support him. The majority of Americans are in favor of reproductive rights, as has been demonstrated every time this issue is put on the ballot. Most recognize the risk of climate change and want to see the government address environmental issues. People want a fair system of taxation, not one that rewards the rich. We are uncomfortable about the prospect of a “moral” minority who see Trump as a way to impose their beliefs on the nation. Most of all, we just don’t like or trust him.   

The problem is that many of these same people are so disgusted by the political atmosphere that they are inclined to just throw their hands up and wish a pox on both houses. They have not seen the changes they sought during either the Biden or Obama administrations and have given up hope. They are content to just let the chips fall where they may. That seems especially true of young voters.

The split in the electorate is so close that it will not take a lot of such voters sitting out the election to turn it. In fact, even if many do vote, their lack of engagement could be fatal to the Harris campaign. It is usually the young who are willing to make the phone calls, hand out leaflets and go door-to-door. More importantly, they get each other excited and interested in showing up on election day. The Democrats need that to get the turnout.

Yes, issues still matter, but for most of the electorate they are sufficiently well-defined. Even with the switch of Democratic candidates the lines are clearly drawn. We know what each aspirant will support and what they will do in office. They may say differently in the next few weeks to try and pander to the center but there are likely to be few surprises as of January 20, 2025.

All this should be kept in mind as we see the wild swings over the next few months. We have to try to avoid getting caught up in the various permutations that will inevitably occur and focus on the end game. We must convince people to vote their beliefs on November 5. If that happens, what seems cataclysmic now will just be fodder for the historian.