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I’m sure most of you have heard about the “short rows.” That’s the figure of speech used to indicate that an event is coming to an end. With a week to go, we are in the “short rows” of our 2020 Presidential election.

When planting an irregularly shaped field, the farmer plants the long rows first. Then, as the planting moves outward, the rows get shorter and shorter until most of the field action is turning around at the ends of the rows. When in the “short rows” the field is almost planted.

By the time I write the next column it will be the day when the majority of voters will be casting their votes for either the re-election of the current president or the election of a new president.

Donna Sue and I have already voted. We voted in-person and early enough that if we need to vote again, we have time. Just kidding!

You couldn’t tell it by the words we hear or the pieces of mail we get, but there is agreement between the two sides. President Trump and challenger Biden both agree: this is the most significant election in the history of our nation. I think that is about their only agreement, however.

They certainly don’t agree on campaigning tactics. President Trump is not letting any grass grow under his feet. In these last few weeks he has been barnstorming the nation with two, three, and even four stops a day.

When the history of twenty-first century presidential campaigning is written, the Donald will be credited with creating a whole new way of campaigning for the office. Rallies with thousands of attendees were a key to his 2016 victory and, at one time, because of the Coronavirus Pandemic, those rallies were null and void.

He has revived them in these last few months and I’m not sure he would have had any chance to be re-elected if he had not. I’m not going out on a limb and say he will be re-elected. I honestly don’t know, but I think I can say that without the rallies, his chances would have been slim.

Whether one likes the president or not, he has to be given credit for an energy that is amazing. How President Trump can hold two or three rallies a day is impressive because he never short changes the people. He gives those in attendance both barrels. In football parlance, he is going to leave everything on the field.

On the other hand, the former vice-president has been much more low-key. There have been many, many days where he has not left his home in Delaware. I have thought that to be a mistake, yet, according to the polls, Joe seems to be ahead. His approach has been tied to taking more care because of the pandemic. Only time will tell whether the strategy worked.

As we began 2020, it seemed that President Trump would be favored. The economy was humming along like a Singer sewing machine. Employment was at an all-time lows and the horizon seemed clear of any surprises.

Then, BOOM! From the nation of China, a virus arrived in the world. It was proposed to be very lethal and all the world, including the USA, shut down as never before. All economies were stopped dead in their tracks.

Millions in our country lost their jobs and all but the essential businesses were closed. We went from prosperity to nothing all in a matter of weeks. It was the most drastic turnaround that most of us had ever experienced. This resulting year has been close to the Depression of the 1930’s.

I think we’re doing about as well as could be expected considering all that has happened. That’s my take and I guess we’ll know what everyone thinks in a few weeks.