OK, OK, sorry to drop into the old world. Today is the 30th of September, and according to the accounting system used by your Federal Government, the fiscal year ends tonight at midnight, and a wild new year of digital excitement begins. I think that means we will be on what is called a “Continuing Resolution,” which has certain rules to follow if you decide not to follow the rules and actually pass a budget.
The specific restrictions are relatively minor, I think the fine career budget folks I was privileged to work with explained things like “Last appropriated budget amount less 5%,” “No new starts.” Things of inconvenience, mostly, and rare until we got into the habit of using them in the Obama and beginning of the Trump Administrations.
If you have spent time living in a “year of execution,” and working on several billion dollars across the program years, the digits are heavier than they look. One nice thing for the minions was a fiscal “New Years Eve” party at the Office of Management and Budget. Day drinking and decorations at a normally staid government building. What fun it is to work in the government!
Anyway, my senses are akimbo this morning. The first Presidential debate was last night, and I fought to stay awake late enough to see it. Or at tried. In order to stay alert, I intentionally delayed (and then forgot) the evening meds. Mine are apparently different than Mr. Biden. I thought he looked pretty when the two white guys stalked to their respective podiums and the games began.
I should have watched the spectacle on the big screen in the living room, but it was so late that I decided to watch on the tablet in bed where it is safe. In the periods in when I was awake, the two men arguing over moderator Chris Wallace, I had two internet pundits on boxes in the lower screen, speaking loudly to help me understand what was too loud to process on the larger image above them.
“More Heat than Light!” was what I found, looking for the right phase to summarize ninety-odd minutes, some of which I actually saw. Joe was doing better on whatever they are using to keep him upright than I was, and I note that in tribute to his physicians. The President gave us an in-your-face performance, honed on the recent campaign stumps.
It was abrupt and rude and contained nothing specific I could discern, except “I will keep doing what I was doing” and “I will do all of that, I will just do it better.”
They have two more debates on the calendar before the ostensible Election Day. I don’t think they will need them if both candidates intend to perform the same show. CNN had the best non-technical analysis, which included two key points:
“That was a hot mess inside a dumpster fire inside a train wreck,” which covered the debate in progress, and a concluding assessment: “That was a shitshow.”
There was a lot more flying around before we got to the train wreck. My favorite was the note from Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe. He has been on the job since May, and he wrote to Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham about the fact that formerly classified material suggested Candidate Clinton had authorized the Russian collusion campaign, and was helped by CIA and FBI folks.
I expect that is part of the Republican version of October Surprise, with more stuff dribbling out in time to be discussed in the next big deal, the Confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. That should be an entertaining four days, with all sorts lurid accusations, some of which were vocalized at high volume last night.
There will be more, of course. They are on day three or four of the Trump tax thing, which is resurrected from the 2016 campaign and the Russians, but enhanced with the certainty that the filings reveal a $400 million debt coming due at the two-year mark of a potential second term, at which point the President is certain to turn the country over to somebody he owes money to.
Or something. I am sure we will hear much more from both October narratives. It may just be a function of swamp entertainment, but so far, this is a fantastic train wreck. We will all see the two powerful locomotives collide, millions of ballots flying wildly into the air. This is going to be powerful theater. Historic!
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