I have a school friend who is a bit like this.  She moved to Arizona about 8 years ago, in part I think to enjoy a sort of "biker life" and be with people more politically in tune with her.  She had been up in Spokane and the more White Supr folks over near Coeur d'Alene are not what she is.  But she's so deeply into the right wing stuff, often calling COVID a "scamdemic."  Whatever you think of methods taken to combat it and the slightly aggressive idea of mask or vaccine mandates, one this has become eminently and provably clear, and that is that the coronavirus is a real thing.  And in particular, the earlier two strains were really, really destructive to many people.  So while she's outwardly kind toward me, and I don't go out of my way to provoke her, I just choose to not engage much.  

I will admit that the last class reunion, when she showed up with a very well-done "enhancement" it was not altogether unpleasant when after a few drinks she greeted me (we hadn't spoken earlier in the evening) and decided to give me a rather intense hug that pulled me ear and the side of my face right up against the enhancement.  I remember looking up at the wife of another good friend and doing the thing John Belushi did in "Animal House" when he was looking in the window.  Looking back at me, she just about fell over with laughter.  

I do wonder just what pushed her so far down this path.  As I've mentioned earlier here, Texas leans pretty strongly Republican.  And obviously with some elected officials being Chip Roy and Louie Gomert, there are a critical mass of rural Republicans who think in the "Alex Jones" manner.  But I'll still maintain that I don't run into anyone who is this way.  It's just not the more common mode, even among Republicans.  I don't think all is lost, but a long slow fade of that fad is what I would hope for.  Maybe it takes eventually having a national "star" leader who is at leader part way to the Right but just isn't at all like this.  In other words, someone who is not Trump.  

Going into the last election, I could see all the negatives we currently observe with Biden.  His weakness and age.  The "too far left" nature of some of his advisors and what that was pretty much guaranteed to do to the economy and to embolden enemies.  But I voted for him anyway, assuming that we could overcome this and that at least an interruption of Trump would be a good thing.  Harris, though, is simply not up for the role and embarrasses herself regularly.  Not smart enough as is easily seen.  If she's the anointed successor, I will vote Republican (but not for the Donald).  That's what I think of her.

I'll say this for Joe or his handlers:  I've been reasonably impressed with the show of unity and consensus-building globally by NATO during the early part of this crisis.  That's a plus, and Biden gets to at least partially own that plus.