There are a lot of moments in this campaign that have caused me to question my very faith in humanity, and some that have been inspiring. But there have also been a large number of things that have been, well, just weird. Some of these things are more serious than others, but all of them contribute to the sense that this campaign has been a dream – perhaps, as John Oliver has suggested, “the dream of a racist teenager who fell asleep while masturbating to internet porn.”
Here is my list of some of the things about this campaign that seem most ridiculous, in no particular order:
1. Not once, but twice during this campaign, a candy company has felt compelled to put out a statement distancing itself from the Republican candidate for president.
2. The New York Times keeps a running list of “People, Places, and Things” that the Republican candidate for president has insulted on Twitter. The list includes a podium in the Oval office and “people,” and when last updated on Oct. 5, listed 273 separate targets.
3. The editor of a web site catering to white supremacists is one of the top two officials running the campaign of a major party presidential candidate. No one seems to care.
4. During a debate, in response to a question about his tax returns, the Republican candidate for president attacked America’s airports.
5. David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post spent months tirelessly investigating Donald Trump and his crooked foundation. Fahrenthold seems to have driven the final nail into the coffin of the Trump campaign because someone sent him a video from Access Hollywood.
6. Paula Jones is back in our lives.
7. Three white supremacist leaders held a press conference in the nation’s capital talking about how excited they were that Donald Trump might become president, and as far as I can tell, only one major news outlet (the Washington Post) even noticed.
8. As a direct result of revelations about the Republican candidate for president, I had multiple conversations with friends about the experience of being groped. Many other women have participated in similar conversations in real life, on Twitter, and on this site.
9. A man got suspended from his job hosting the third hour of the Today Show for joking about sexual assault on tape with the man who is still the Republican candidate for president.
10. This
So that’s my definitely not exhaustive list. With all the breaking news, I’m not sure how long this diary will stick around and how many people will see it, but if you are reading, I’d love to hear what you find surreal about this weird, weird campaign.