Dear editor,

Great surprise was expressed around the globe when former President Donald Trump was wounded in an assassination attempt during his political rally held at Butler Farm Show Grounds in rural Pennsylvania on July 13. 

Many cynics like me were surprised that so many were expressing surprise.  After all, it happened in a country with so many crazy people, so many crazy gun laws, so much crazy rhetoric from politicians and press pundits, and so many more crazy social media commentators and influencers.

It鈥檚 worth mentioning, that according to some records, there are about 500 million guns registered in America, whose population is about 335 million; no doubt there are many more unregistered weapons. Then Donald Trump attended the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee from July 15 to 18 with his wounded ear in a sling; he was treated like a conquering hero by conventioneers, and his Republican Party seemed totally united behind him.  

Television viewers were treated to all the febrile over-the-top Americana razzamatazz, spiel and shtick that is part of these glorious political extravaganzas. 

Then on July 21 came the message that so many were expecting; President Joe Biden was quitting his re-election campaign, and endorsing his vice president to carry the Democratic Party torch in Nov. 5鈥檚 election, just 15 weeks away.

Pundits were out in force from both ends of the political spectrum, with even more febrile spiel and schtick about how and why this momentous decision was made. Again, cynics like me are all too aware that political campaigns are totally dependent on money; even more so in America, where in 2020 presidential and congressional candidates spent well over $14 billion US, twice as much as in 2016.

With President Biden鈥檚 declining mental health issues becoming more obvious by the day, several big party donors were refusing to open their vaults, so his quitting the race was really inevitable. It will be a very interesting Democratic National Convention in Chicago from Aug. 19 to 22; to see who the delegates choose to do battle with Donald Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance.

Meanwhile, America鈥檚 friends and foes from all over the world will certainly be wondering if Joe Biden is even capable of holding down his Oval Office job until Jan. 20, 2025.

Bernie Smith

Parksville