Even as I agree with Cheney I am nonetheless a little squeamish about her Doom and Gloom messaging.

At the same time  reproach myself for having my head in the sand. 

On the one hand, I don't want to go back to existential threat to democracy messaging. We can't out-Fear trumpie. 

On the other hand, down-playing it...Jamie Diamond said at Davos that he and his American financial magnates down-played to their European colleagues the trumpie threat with a "He won't be able to do all that" hand wave, that Europeans do not understand the checks and balances in the American system. 

But he has the intent! Yes, Jan. 6 was ineffective and sort of pathetic as coups go. But they tried! And it seems a little precious to dismiss intent as forever doomed to fail. Is our system really so strong the never, ever, would a coup d' etat fail? That seems to me naive.

On the other hand: Forward; Joy; We're Not Going Back. There is no doubt in my mind that that is more effective messaging than existential threat to democracy. I just heard Bill Kristol say that "60-40" he thinks Kamala should ignore trumpie at the debate and press Forward. But...Kristol said "40-60" he thinks Kamala should call out every lie he tells, that otherwise she will appear weak. 

I don't think it's possible for Kamala to call out every lie that comes out of trumpie's mouth and that to attempt that is not only futile but allows trumpie to set the agenda for the debate. Better, I think, to dismiss all of the lies with one word or phrase, "weird", "There you go again." Or this, (needs to be boiled down to sound-bite size.

"Trump says he loves America. Then he runs America down as quote 'a third world country'; he calls us quote a 'banana republic'. What nation is he talking about, Russia? Americans are proud of our country, and he's running it down! Trump believes quote "Real power is Fear." Maybe in Mother Russia, Donald, but, this country, America, was founded on "the pursuit of HAPPINESS". Donald, if you're not happy here, there's the door. Don't let the door hit you on the way out. Lighten up, Donald, who's got it better than us? Trump says he is loyal to his love, but that she is quote 'in decline'.  He's the husband who proclaims his love and loyalty to his wife and then cheats on her on the side, who tells others she's 'garbage', 'trash', a 'bitch', 'in decline', 'not his type'. Trump uses the American flag as a sheet while he has sex with a porn star. That's not love. Trump says he loves his supporters, and then calls them 'basement dwellers' and 'disgusting people'. He told them to their faces quote 'I don’t care about you. I just want your vote. I don’t care.' Trump is the 34-time convicted felon who says, quote 'I did it all for you.' Donald Trump hates America."