Character is Destiny

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John McCain has the last laugh.

Personalities matter. Politicians cannot rely solely on their policies, however innovative, brilliant, and successful they may be, to convince the electors to vote for them. The charisma factor plays an important part in the alchemy of a successful presidential campaign, as do the candidates' backgrounds and histories.

To use John McCain’s favourite expression (so much so that he wrote a book about it), first coined by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, “Character is destiny.” Kamala Harris's rapid ascent to the top of the Democratic ticket and her choice as running partner, Governor from Minnesota Tim Walz, demonstrate this axiom all the more. Harris chose Walz because they had good personal chemistry, and she liked what she saw in his background, a down-to-earth, humble politician who nonetheless could get things done even with a razor-thin majority in his State's legislature.

The contrast with the opposing ticket cannot be more stark. The Republican candidate for the VP spot started out with a negative 16-point favourability rating, and he has only made matters worse by complaining that the country was being run by a "bunch of childless cat ladies". Trump himself continues to forge ahead with his dystopian view of a ruined America suffering at the hands of an invasion of a horde of bloodthirsty, violent immigrants directly from the jails and psychiatric wards of foreign countries.

In the case of Trump, his destiny may very well lead him to a dark place, and with him, the country and the world at large. It is fair to say that his behaviour as president during what remains his first and only term to date was unconventional. A case in point is his “love letters” with one of the world’s most notorious dictators, Kim Jong-un  - using the expression “love letters” is bizarre to the extreme. Or "just plain weird", to quote Tim Walz, although the first prize has to go to former President George W. Bush, who famously stated to Hillary Clinton after Trump's inaugural address that it was "some weird sh....".

Trump’s reputation preceded him, and foreign leaders quickly adapted to his personality. They quickly understood that flattery was a valuable tool with Trump – hence the lavish welcome Trump received during his first visit to Saudi Arabia.

The description above of Trump's personality is far from flattering. Still, it is very much confirmed by a close family member, namely his niece Mary Trump, who, as a certified psychologist, dedicated a whole book to her uncle “Too Much and Never Enough” and in her own words: “I have no problem calling Donald a narcissist — he meets all nine criteria (in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)”. Still, she adds for good measure the notion of “antisocial personality disorder”, “dependent personality disorder”, and “some undiagnosed learning disability that … has interfered with his ability to process information”.

Now that the two parties have finally chosen their candidates, it appears that the forthcoming election will be a so-called "vibes election" as opposed to a "policy election" where electors choose the candidate they prefer based on their "feelings" towards them.

Since Joe Biden stepped down as candidate barely two weeks ago, the political landscape has radically shifted in a way unimaginable to most, if not all, observers. Kamala Harris has flawlessly launched her campaign and has been able to secure her nomination, break records in small-donor fundraising, generate an unprecedented wave of excitement and enthusiasm and select a like-minded VP candidate in short order.

Whilst it is always dangerous to live within an artificial social media fuelled bubble, the enthusiasm, positivity and good vibes are more than just a mirage, as illustrated by the cold hard cash that has been flowing into the Democratic campaign's coffers and the crowds that come to Harris's campaign rallies. The polls have started to reflect the change in momentum and the race is now up for grabs - and this is even before the Democratic convention in a couple of weeks in Chicago.

Donald Trump has built his reputation and political fortunes on "American Carnage" and promoting hatred, division and above all, fear. In 2016, he was blessed with an unpopular candidate tarnished by years of Clinton bashing and the electorate just barely gave him the benefit of the doubt (even though he did not win the popular vote).

However, eight years later, the want to be Emperor with no clothes has been called out by the Democrats - as "weird" and looking backwards with no plan for the future other than revenge and retribution. As a convicted felon, an adjudicated sex offender not to say rapist and a business career marred by the charge of numerous frauds, Donald Trump can no longer hide behind his incessant flow of lies and grievances to disguise the fact that he really does have no clothes on and that the resulting picture is not pretty to look at.

Freedom writ large is what Americans yearn for; they do not want to remain stuck in the past, they do not wish for a not so great version of 1950s America, where civil rights and women rights did not exist and above all else the vast majority of Americans cannot accept that a 50-year right for women to choose what to do with their bodies has been brutally taken away by a conservatively stacked Supreme Court. In short, there "is no going back".

With Joe Biden as the candidate, the focus was unfairly almost exclusively focused on him and his performance. Despite having achieved great success as President, both internally and in foreign policy, the natural process of his ageing could not be ignored. Politics is the art of performance and perception is key. Donald Trump is now learning this, to his astonishment and dismay. His opponents are the "perfect" people for the moment, to use yet again one of Donald Trump's favourite expressions.

They have recognised that the path towards a spring of hope depends on recognising the dangers ahead and answering the call to arms to win the war of ideas of darkness over light, hope over fear and of freedom over subjugation.

Trump has to remember what happened to his good friend Kanye West who is allegedly the inspiration behind Taylor Swift's hit "Karma". Trashing people publicly is never a good idea. John McCain must be laughing with his fellow angels from his first row view, looking down on Trump's troubles.