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A beginner’s guide to making sense of a most unusual US election season

Opinion polls in the run-up to the election shape the narrative. But these are often off the mark – for good reason.

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How does attacking the moderator at an event make sense for Donald Trump's campaign? There may be a method to the madness.

How does attacking the moderator at an event make sense for Donald Trump's (left) campaign? There may be a method to the madness.

PHOTO: REUTERS

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Pay even a moderate amount of attention to the ongoing US presidential election campaign, and one might be tempted to think that the country’s politics has well and truly jumped the shark.

In just the single month of July, we have seen the entire race seemingly overturned multiple times. There was

an assassination attempt

; an

eleventh-hour candidate change

; one side accusing the other of having an odd laugh; another centring their messaging on how “weird” the other side is; many voters had to look up the word “brat”; others seriously pondered a completely fact-free allegation concerning one vice-presidential nominee’s relationship with his living room furniture; childless cat ladies got attacked; coconut trees went viral; and there are still about 100 days left before election day.

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