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New polls: VA
Dem pickups: NC
GOP pickups: AZ GA

It's Sept. 11. Take a minute to remember the 2,977 innocent people who died 23 years ago today in the terrorist attacks.

It's the Debate You Expected

Last night, of course, was the first (and probably only) presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. If you wish to watch it, you can do so here:



Note that this feed, which is the official ABC News feed, includes roughly one hour of pre-debate commentary. We've set the link to jump to the start of the actual debate, but if that doesn't work, you need to advance to 59:58.

Let us also take this opportunity to remind readers that we write up our comments before reading or hearing what anyone else has to say. So, if we appear to be writing from la-la land, that is why. Also, as best as possible, we try to see things through the eyes of low-information voters. Such folks might learn something new from what they saw on screen. Someone who is high-information enough to read this site? Not so many but there are undoubtedly some well-educated Republican readers who prioritize tax cuts and are torn about who to vote for.

Anyhow, the executive summary of the debate, at least as we see it, is this: Harris clearly won. There is no dominant storyline that will emerge from the debate, like "Joe Biden is clearly falling apart." Nor are there any meme-y moments that will enter the annals of presidential debate lore, like "There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe" or "binders full of women" or "There you go again." Nonetheless, Harris clearly came out on top.

We organized our previous debate write-up around each of the "players" on stage, and we see no reason to change that approach. And so, here we go:

So, there you have it. We tend to agree with the readers/commentators who say that this debate won't change the trajectory of the election all by itself. But could it move 1% of voters? We think something like that is entirely possible. Though, given the vagaries of polling, it would be very hard to know if that actually happened.

Note that we will have bingo results tomorrow. Those require a level of concentration that is not currently available to be summoned. (Z)

The Primaries Are Over

Last night, New Hampshire, Delaware and Rhode Island brought up the rear, marking an end to primary season. Here are the most interesting results:

That's the last of those items for about 2 years. Full steam ahead to the general! (Z)

Comments on COVID

I am going to write this in first person, which is not our normal style, but is entirely correct for this brief piece.

First of all, I recognize that I am very late to the COVID party. Many readers will already know most or all of the information here. That said, there are still some folks who have escaped COVID thus far. Just about everyone I know who had avoided COVID thus far has been hit by the latest variant. So, even if you've dodged the bullet thus far, you should brace yourself for the possibility that the party's about to end.

Obviously, if you have insurance, you should make sure to have some at-home tests on hand. That said, the at-home test that I took produced inconclusive results, so it was necessary to go to a doctor for confirmation. Assuming you do get it, you'll need Paxlovid, which apparently does help reduce the duration of the disease. Also, buy some gum or hard candies, because Paxlovid creates a godawful taste in your mouth that lasts 3 hours and cannot be washed away.

If you don't have insurance, the federal government will be distributing free at-home tests again soon; you can get information here (the program is scheduled to start at the end of this month). If you end up needing Paxlovid, the manufacturer has a program called PAXCESS where, if you qualify, you can get the drug for free. Also, many states and municipalities (mostly... OK, pretty much exclusively, ones where Democrats are in control) have some sort of assistance with testing and treatment. You can use Google to check if this will work for you.

What about vaccines? Well, it does not appear that there is a central program providing free vaccinations anymore. If you have to pay out of pocket, it's about $100. Many localities (again, pretty much the blue ones) do still have free vaccinations available. Again, lean on Google here.

For my part, I have been vaccinated against COVID six ways to Sunday. I've had at least four shots, and I think it may be five or six. The fact that I got the disease anyhow may be interpreted as a failure, but that is not how I see it. On Monday, I was terribly ill. In particular, I had a 104-degree fever, and spent about 12 hours hallucinating (the tiny contribution I made to yesterday's blog was written maybe 20 minutes after the fever broke). And then, on Tuesday, I was... pretty close to fine. Think: mild cold. Some congestion, a loss of stamina, my back hurts.

You could attribute this to the Paxlovid, except that I got dramatically better before taking the first dose. It's also possible the new variant is really bad on Day One, and mild thereafter, but that's not usually how viruses work. That leaves us with the simplest explanation, that the oft-made assertion that even if the vaccines fail to protect you against the disease, they significantly reduce its virulence is true. That's certainly the explanation I am going with.

Anyhow, please be prepared and please take all precautions. And finally, to the many readers who wrote in with well-wishes, I am very grateful. They helped a lot, in particular, during the morning hours when I was still feeling really cruddy. (Z)

Today's Presidential Polls

In a manner of speaking, this is good news for both parties. They don't need to waste money and other resources on Virginia. (Z)

State Kamala Harris Donald Trump Start End Pollster
Virginia 51% 43% Sep 04 Sep 08 George Mason U.

Click on a state name for a graph of its polling history.

Today's Senate Polls

Ibid.

State Democrat D % Republican R % Start End Pollster
Virginia Tim Kaine* 53% Hung Cao 41% Sep 04 Sep 08 George Mason U.

* Denotes incumbent


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