This, apparently, is what President Joe Biden thinks I’ll be entering when I head to the US tomorrow. It’s an intriguing phrase: so many questions raised by half a dozen words. Obviously, what he really means is “Vote Democrat on 5th November”. But he’s also alluding to the deeper national malaise.

I try to keep my blog posts minimalist. But there aren’t enough words anywhere to distill this statement. To start, it’s notable that Biden chooses a militaristic metaphor. America’s long tradition of violence (at home and abroad) has seriously damaged its “soul”. However much he’s eulogised as Uncle Joe in the coming months, Biden’s still been a willing accomplice to numerous acts of military aggression, including the current one in Palestine. There’s not much reason to think a President Harris will significantly change course.

More than most other nations, it’s possible to talk about the “creation” of America. Whoever’s elected this year, s/he is set to be President for the 250th birthday, what I fear we’ll have to get used to calling the “Semiquincentennial”. The country was born from war and has rarely been out of one. Its Civil War is often referred to as its seminal moment and 160 years later, there’s been serious talk that there may be another one, fears that were heightened by, but pre-date, January 6th. Presumably, this is part of Biden’s dark warning. But I’ve often thought the US is already involved in a proxy war against itself, using the weapons of guns, drugs and crap food.

Again, Biden and the system he represents need to “own this”. There’s no question America is deeply divided. But the political establishment is incapable of addressing the underlying cause – economic inequality. This has been growing for decades and was exacerbated by COVID. I’ve been visiting the US for 38 years and have seen the evidence accumulating.

So far, for all the feelgood around Harris/Walz, it’s politics by soundbite. There’s not much tangible to suggest they will bring policies of wealth and opportunity redistribution. That’s why Trump won in 2016 and although it’s looking less likely by the day, why he could still win again.

But, like most Americans, I live in hope and that’s one of the main reasons I keep going there. The soul of America is still relentlessly optimistic, verging on utopian. I think it’s already clear that Harris/Walz are successfully tapping into this. There’s a long way to go, but I (cautiously) expect them to sweep to victory on a similar wave to the one that worked for Obama. Disillusionment set in soon after and it probably will again. But I still think it will be good for America – and the World – if Trumpism is not just defeated, but humiliated.

I’ll try to do my bit, but I’ll be back by Christmas. As I pack my bags, I’m trying to think of the one image that sums up my best feelings about the place I’m going to – and it’s this…