The Black Hole of Need

Morning Dispatch

Bargain basement Mama Rose

For the first time in recent memory, one name was missing from the homepage of the digital version of both The New York Times and The Washington Post. Finally, dislodged by the extraordinary enthusiasm, vitality, and forward-looking agenda of the Harris-Walz roll-out, Donald continues to be overshadowed. His solipsistic grievance-laden posts, his delusional rants, and his apocalyptic vision of a “destroyed” America just can’t compete with the positive and uplifting message Vice President Harris is offering us—with a brilliant assist from surrogates like Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, and her new running-mate, Tim Walz.

It's as if a window has been opened and we are suddenly, painfully aware just how toxic the air we’ve been breathing has been; as if a light has been turned on and we can see, finally see, that there is so much more to life than the misery, division, anger, and cruelty Donald Trump offers us because, at the end of it all, he has nothing else.

We should know by now that Donald is incapable of evolving. He can’t regulate his emotions or moderate his responses. His need for affirmation is so great and his insecurities run so deep that they’ve created in him a black hole of need that constantly requires the light of compliments that disappears as soon as he’s soaked it in.

Nothing is ever enough for him. He is as weak as he is because his ego is a fragile thing that must be bolstered every moment. He is compelled to manipulate people into propping him up. Then he makes his vulnerabilities and insecurities their responsibility: they must assuage him, they must take care of him. He has suffered  mightily, and if you aren’t doing all you can to alleviate that suffering, you should suffer, too. That is the entirety of his politics, such as they are.

Donald will always be able to find people weaker and more insecure than he is (as hard as that is to believe), but the two greatest measures of his worth, in his mind at least, are slipping through his grasp: media attention and rally attendance. There is no reason to think the spotlight will move away from Vice President Harris any time soon. The rollout of her campaign has been impeccable from the start and—with the historic levels of fundraising and unity within the Democratic Party and the addition of Walz to the ticket—the campaign is only getting more electric. Dems in array, indeed.

When you consider that the Democratic Convention has yet to happen and the Republican Convention is already in the rearview mirror, there’s every reason to expect the Harris-Walz campaign will continue to out-perform its opponents. They, after all, have nothing to positive to offer the American people. They’re also really boring.

From now until election day on November 5, this campaign will be a study in contrasts. Let’s revel in the return of hope and joy and optimism that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz and their surrogates are gifting us. Let’s enjoy the brief respite as Donald and J.D. Vance get completely overshadowed by their much better, much smarter opponents. But let’s stay vigilant. Donald Trump will do anything to get the spotlight back—and it won’t be anything good. If we’re prepared, we can handle it. Right now, I feel like we can handle anything.