When it comes to politics in the United States of America, I have not seen anything like the last two weeks in July.

It started with the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, then moved to President Joe Biden's decision to end his bid for re-election and throw his support to Vice President Kamala Harris.

Then came the Republican National Convention, where Trump named freshman Senator JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate, and accepted the nomination of his party.

Meanwhile, Vice President Harris appears to be building support in her bid to secure the Democratic Party nomination at the party's convention in August.

Our resident political expert, Professor Ken Manning, chair of the Political Science Department at UMass Dartmouth, joins us this week on Townsquare Sunday to help sort it all out.

"It's been quite a decade over the past month," Manning said.

He said the turmoil actually began with President Biden's poor performance in the presidential debate, which prompted calls for Biden to step aside. He said the debate was "catastrophic" for the Biden campaign.

Other thoughts from Prof. Manning:

The Assassination Attempt on Donald Trump

"It was a shocking series of events, where Trump narrowly missed being killed, and of course one spectator was killed and two seriously wounded, and it now appears there was a massive security failure by the Secret Service."

On JD Vance

"He's a person who has a national reputation and a compelling personal story. I don't think Vance's selection energizes the GOP particularly well, but it didn't dismay the party, either."

On Kamala Harris as the Nominee:

"She really doesn't have any significant enemies. She is largely unknown to the broader public. Harris is fairly well-liked among Democrats, but she has the opportunity now to define herself in a new way, and to reintroduce herself to the American public."

Can Kamala Harris Win the Presidency?

"Can she win? Yes, but right now you would have to say she's the underdog. She will bring energy to the Democrats that they didn't have two weeks ago.  But does that mean she is now the favorite? No, I wouldn't go that far."

Prof. Manning expects a nasty, knock-down, drag-out campaign from now until November.

If you would like your organization featured on Townsquare Sunday, please email the host at jim.phillips@townsquaremedia.com.

New Bedford's Exercise Tiger Memorial Ceremonies

Over the years, New Bedford has annually held a memorial for Exercise Tiger at Fort Taber.

Gallery Credit: Townsquare Media

 

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