I enjoyed Jim’s post this morning on the “madness of ‘vibe’ elections.” He writes: “Certain people, apparently including those who cover politics for a living, draw conclusions about people based on their ‘vibe.’” Apparently, Tim Walz’s “moderate vibe” is that “he’s a heavyset, bald, glasses-and-flannel-wearing Midwesterner who looks like he could be a guy behind the counter at a hardware store, recommending the Phillips-head machine screw over the flathead machine screw.”
I agree that our politics now focuses more on vibes than on policy issues. I would also note that the person most responsible for that reality is Donald Trump. Trump’s “vibe” is remarkably inconsistent with his politics. He is running on the most moderate GOP platform in half a century but has the reputation of an extremist “fighter.” It’s the worst of both worlds.
I’m intensely eager for a politics not dictated by “vibes,” but I can’t fault Democrats for not making that a reality this election cycle. They are rational to run a “vibes” campaign against Trump, and until Republicans make it harder for them to do so (nominating a normal person for president in 2028 would be nice), policy discussions will remain on the periphery of our national discourse.