Dear Reader:

Does your head hurt?

Is your neck sore after being whipped back and forth as the political bombshells cascade down from Niagara-on-the Potomac?

Is your brain fogged over as you try to understand the present issues and figure out what is next on the horizon?

Or are you ready to bury your head in the sand until Nov. 6?

If so, no one would blame you if you picked one, none, or all of the above.

We have all been through a political firestorm.

Think of it for a moment, the debate where Grandpa Joe, 81, looked like an addled old codger. Then we saw Grandpa Don, 78, escape (thankfully) the clutches of a boy assassin only to ride into a triumphant convention appearance, cheered by flag-waving fans and none other than Hulk Hogan.

If you don’t think it was his convention, you can count the number of the GOP old guard that skipped the pow-wow, including the former Veep Mike Pence, except for Senate leader Mitch McConnell whose speech earned a lusty round of “Boos.”

As Grandpa Don was cheered by his fervent MAGA acolytes, Grandpa Joe quietly huddled at his Delaware beach house, closeted away from fervent supporters who privately urged him to skedaddle stage left. When the private urgings morphed into a public outcry, Grandpa Joe stepped down.

Then, just minutes after dropping out, he anointed his Veep as his choice to succeed him in the Oval Office.

Game changer. Former president Barack Obama and wife Michelle joined Congressional and state leaders to jump on the Veep’s bandwagon.

That endorsement sent supporters, especially those on the distaff side, into action as they zoomed on to Zoom with thousands of supporters who pledged their support and donated millions of dollars to her cause.

Estimates say they raised some serious ($200 million) money in a few days.

Suddenly, a campaign doomed to failure gained a new life.

The nation's front pages seemed to ignore both the assassination (other than blaming the Secret Service for fumbling the ball) and the GOP convention in favor of stories speculating on who the Veep would choose to become her veep candidate.

The gaggle of potential second-string possibilities included governors from battleground (must win, natch) states, an astronaut/Navy fighter pilot, and the Secretary of Transportation.

All of them were well-known public figures, unlike other candidates like Sarah Palin and J. Danforth Quayle.

The Constitution assigns the Veep with a few ceremonial chores. His/her main job is to be a spare in case something (perish the thought) happens to Numero Ono. That is how we got HST, LBJ and Gerald Ford.

Meanwhile, at Grandpa Don's headquarters, his brain trusts tried to figure out attacks on his new rival, as he fell back on his usual bag of insults and wisecracks to the delight of his cheering audiences.

As an aside, I wonder what they will do with all the caps, T-shirts, and other merch bearing the slogan: Let's Go Brandon?

The newspaper front pages and TV talking heads said both sides have plenty of ammo.

Grandpa Don’s myrmidons attack his rivals for failing to protect the border, allowing household expenses to skyrocket. Who once told a presidential candidate, It’s the economy, stupid?

The defenders of the Veep respond with economic charts and diagrams showing the DOW is doing just fine, inflation is slowing, and unemployment figures are under 4%.

His supporters are gearing up to his side as their rival, a former prosecutor, is likely to attack Grandpa Don as a molester of women, a convicted felon, and a businessman judged as a business fraud. He says they are all phony politically inspired charges. 

Her acolytes also point to what they claim is a disturbing collection of proposals, called Project 2025, which his supporters say is a blueprint for the second term. He says he knows nothing about it.

Many Democrats want the race to turn on gender issues, especially abortion.

Since the 2022 Dobbs decision, anti-abortion supporters enacted laws to ban the procedure in several states. In others, pro-abortion advocates have blocked similar efforts.

Will this contest turn into the latest skirmish in the age-old battle of the sexes?

Democrats believe this is the issue that will unite them with like-minded Republicans and independents to elect the Veep.

Recent polling suggests the candidates are running neck and neck. However, it is too early to rely on them.

And, never forget, a political pendulum that swings one way, can, and always will, swing back. It ain't over til Nov. 6.

In any case, hold on to your hat. We have never seen an election like this one. Remember it well. One day, your grandchildren will ask you what happened in 2024?

What will you answer?