Donald Trump and JD Vance are failing America’s favorite political test

This is an adapted excerpt from the Aug. 7 episode of “The Reid Out.”

Let’s talk about joy — no not me, Joy, but the feeling of joy. More specifically, the joy being felt by Americans backing the Harris-Walz ticket. A joy that is palpable and pervasive. 

We saw that joy on full display, with massive crowds greeting Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at their rallies in Wisconsin and Michigan on Wednesday. It feels like we are experiencing another 2008 Obama moment. The energy, the excitement, the enthusiasm. It feels fun.

Imagine that, American politics … joyful again.

The 2024 presidential election has quickly become the tale of two tickets: one radiates joy and the other is dour and frankly, frightening. And it’s clear that has Republicans freaking out.

Harris has not only been criticized for her race, gender and parental status — but also for laughing. As if an infectious, energizing belly laugh — the literal display of joy — is a bad thing.

Walz is also a joyful guy. His former students love him. He was a popular and successful high school football coach. He made “weird” happen. He’s a Midwesterner with “big dad energy” who will offer tips on how to fix your car and save money to boot.

Some of you may be familiar with the “beer question” in U.S. politics: a thought experiment often utilized by the media or in polling, which says voters will generally elect the candidate they would rather have a beer with. Victory in American politics often goes not to the candidate who better articulates their platform, but rather, to whoever is more likable.

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‘Political Ted Lasso’: Walz’s former students praise his ‘genuine, caring’ leadership August 7, 2024 / 07:35

So you be the judge: Who would you rather have a beer with?

Harris, who dares to laugh and Walz, the plain-spoken fun uncle who will defend the people he loves?

Or Trump, who rambles about sharks and hatred, who makes fun of people and smirks but who rarely laughs, and who doesn’t seem capable of talking to a child — even his own grandkids?

And his cat lady-hating sidekick Sen. JD Vance? That guy is really weird. So weird the couch meme won’t die.

Vance is basically stalking the Democratic ticket. On Wednesday, he stunned reporters by attempting to confront Harris and Walz on the tarmac when their planes arrived in Wisconsin at similar times. 

Vance told reporters he “just wanted to check out [his] future plane.” Walking up to the vice president and Air Force Two is not a thing that normal people do.

His weirdness aside, this race has also been a total reversal of how the parties are normally framed. The Republicans love to attack Democratic elites — but this time around, Harris and Walz actually feel like the more regular, normal middle-class folks. Yes, they are living extraordinary political lives but due to hard work, not connections or riches. 

Harris went to Howard University, an HBCU, then The University Of California, Hastings College Of Law. Walz attended an open-admissions teachers college in northwest Nebraska.

Quite the opposite of the candidates on the Republican side — with Trump-Vance being the Ivy League ticket, loved by the billionaires. It’s a conundrum for the Republican Party.

The so-called populist MAGA movement is now bankrolling a celebrity who inherited his wealth, who is not out there campaigning but instead golfing at this exclusive ritzy resort, and a vice presidential candidate anointed by another super weird guy, tech investor Peter Thiel.

It’s also a ticket backed by billionaire tech bros who want to unleash Project 2025 — the brainchild of rich people — on the American people. 

It is a hateful vision that all people should fear … and it’s a vision reflected perfectly by the two men who want to execute it.

Join Joy Reid, Rachel Maddow and many others on Saturday, Sept. 7, in Brooklyn, New York, for “MSNBC Live: Democracy 2024,” a first-of-its-kind live event. You’ll get to see your favorite hosts in person and hear thought-provoking conversations about what matters most in the final weeks of an unprecedented election cycle. Buy tickets here.