Lies, money and videotape

Most of the Republican candidates for president have discovered that despite the ease of checking falsehoods on the internet, it is even easier to deny the truth by questioning the motives of the media.  Such was Ben Carson's ploy when asked about his connection with the bogus health claims of an internet marketer.  Virtually everyone outside of the Republican bubble knows the supplement marketer Mannatech  is a cornucopia of false health claims and they actively sought and received Carson's endorsement and paid him handsomely.  However, instead of admitting this, he lied outright and the audience booed the questioner who tried to follow up with more pointed inquiries.  This hearkens back to the Shrub's administration's boast that it was creating reality on a daily basis and the media should get used to it.  Well, as has been demonstrated, facts are stubborn things and have a definite liberal bias.  The 65-70% of the electorate who still believe there is an objective reality must find this whole Trump-Carson phenomenon somewhat alarming.  I know I do.

Diminished expectations

Aside from The Donalds promises to build a bigger, better America, most of the candidates at last night's debate basically told their fellow  countrymen to expect a diminished America, except for the military industrial complex.  As Chris Christie patiently explained to seniors and those on the cusp of retirement the Social Security trust fund was looted long ago and we all better get used to a life of genteel or at least silent poverty.  It is amazing to me we can spend trillions of dollars on unauthorized wars and a half trillion each year to sustain the American empire around the world, but we can't live up to the promises made to those who worked all their lives and contributed to the system.   For this, Christie was lauded by the pundits for "telling it like it is".  The other meme which worked for candidates like Cruz and Rubio was attacks on the "liberal media".  By deflecting the admittedly stupid questions some of the moderators asked with questions as to their political agenda, Cruz drew applause from the base.  Ben Carson sleepwalked through the proceedings, so he will probably take some fire, and Trump continues to lie outright and expect to be believed.  All in all, the so-called debate did little to winnow the field and I'm sure there will be yet another crowded stage next month.  The fact that anyone on that stage could be the eventual candidate of a major political party reduces me to open mouthed stupefaction.

More Republican Follies

The Clown Car stops in Boulder, Col. tonight and a full complement of crazy can be expected.  With Ben Carson leading the polls, expect The Donald and the rest to hammer some of Carson's crazier ideas, such as ending Medicare and Medicaid and his various slavery metaphors, but as long as the good doctor keeps his cool, he will remain the Flavor of the Month among the base.   The paradox of Carson's candidacy is his typical supporter benefits from most of the programs he has vowed to cut.  Indeed, most of the base of the party are unabashed socialists, many collecting government pensions and social security.   The other thing about Carson's popularity which puzzles me is his support from otherwise racist and misogonyst elements of the base.   I guess his rants against his fellow African-Americans cause otherwise racists to overlook his skin color.   Herman Cain in 2012 followed much the same script.  It remains to be seen if Carson can improve on Cain's performance.  The rest of the candidates can be counted on to do anything possible to drag him down.  Get out the popcorn and settle in for a laugher.

Convention post mortems

I must say, the more often I go to conventions; in my case, produce oriented, the less able I am to justify the time and expense they entail.  It seems to me that most of the energy we expend is to "show the flag" to our existing customers and look for the unlikely newbie.   The average company display and personnel cost at the recent PMA convention in Atlanta probably cost in excess of 25,000 dollars, not to mention the dinners, receptions and other networking expenses.  Multiply that by the numerous other confabs offered around the country by regional organizations and the expenses become mind boggling.  Many brokers and even large produce companies are scaling back their participation, but the stigma attached to non attendance at these affairs is harsh.  The implication is the person or organization not displaying is in a straitened economic situation.  I have a feeling after this latest extravaganza there will be some soul-searching, especially if a strict cost-benefit analysis is done.

Republicans' Benghazi fetish

I truly doubt 1 in 10 Americans could find Libya on a map, let alone the city of Benghazi.  That won't stop Republicans from trying to tie Hillary Clinton's Presidential bid to this dusty outpost in a country of chaos.  They grilled the former Secretary of State for 8 hours yesterday and only succeeded in making her look more Presidential than anyone in the Clown Car on the other side.  In boxing parlance, they landed a few glancing blows, but they never bloodied a calm, unruffled Ms. Clinton.  What the Benghazi committee will do next is anyone's guess.  Having spent more time and money on investigating the deaths of 4 Americans than Congress spent on the 9/11 investigation,  and branded by one of their own as a partisan operation, one would hope Trey Gowdy and his merry men will slink back to their burrows.  Unfortunately for them, this travesty will probably continue to play out and instead of damaging Clinton, it will become fodder for Democratic fundraising and commercials leading up to the 2016 elections.

Biden's decision and its consequences

It has been quite a week for political junkies.  The bitter infighting among House Republicans, Paul Ryan's imitation of Hamlet, the looming Benghazi confrontation between Trey Gowdy's transparently political agenda and Hillary and finally, Joe Biden's decision not to get pummeled by another losing Presidential campaign.  Among the pundits and insiders in D.C., Joe Biden is universally well liked, mostly because he plays the inside political game as well as anyone ever has.  Outside the beltway, he is mostly known as a gaffe prone politician with wandering hands.  Fortunately for him, someone with common sense convinced him even with a first class organization he was going nowhere unless he  was willing to become an attack dog.  That doesn't fit with his image and would have been a stretch.  On policy questions there is little or no daylight between him and Hillary and he could not credibly gone after Bernie's fans without denying his own legacy.   A Biden presidency would have been a disaster for Democrats as he would have either cheerfully given away the store to the opposition in the name of bipartisanship, or he would retreat into a fetal position because of his hurt when the Republicans inevitably made a mockery of his attempts at comity.  So now the field is clear.  If Hillary handles 8 hours of testimony today, she will have basically tied up the nomination.  If she stumbles, all bets are off.

Paul Ryan and the Speakership

After an affecting little speech aimed at his recalcitrant brethren in the House, Paul Ryan will sit back for the rest of the week and see if he has tamed the "Freedom Caucus" enough to make his reluctant bid for the Speakership a reality.   Why anyone would want this pseudowonk whose aspirations are more for the other House in D.C. than for wrangling the near hopeless Republican majority is beyond me.   The pundits praise his grasp of the federal budgetary process, but as Paul Krugman points out ad nauseum, Ryan's budgets have always been shot through with magic asterisks which presume all manner of budget cuts and revenue increases without spelling them out or putting in place the actual mechanisms to accomplish his miracles.  That's why they have been DOA throughout his career.  May the Flying Spaghetti Monster help us if he is Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee if a Republican President is ever again elected.  Nicknamed the "Granny Starver" because of his advocacy for cutting the very same programs which raised him from the lower middle class to his present eminence, he stands in stark contrast to the newly elected Premier of Canada.  Justin Trudeau was raised in a privileged political family, but seemingly has far more empathy than Ryan.   I almost hope the 40 crazies on the far right of the Republican caucus vote Ryan down.  Let the Republicans elect one of the new breed of  confrontational idiots and we'll finally see the monster the GOP  has been breeding for 40 years.

A New Canadian government

The Liberals (yes, it is not a dirty word in Canada) won a smashing victory in elections yesterday, ending nine years of Conservative rule.   A little cross cultural translation is necessary here.  Conservatives in Canada would probably be somewhat to the left of every Republican candidate for the Presidency here in the US.  The Liberals are somewhere between Hillary and Bernie.  Of course, the devaluation of the loonie and the troubled Canadian economy probably had more to do with Justin Trudeau's victory than any other factor besides the long reign of the Conservatives and their leader, Brian Harper.  How this transition affects the US remains to be seen.  Probably most Americans were not even aware elections were being held in Canada.   The country is seen as an amiable neighbor, but its politics make many people uncomfortable.  The long Conservative rule has lulled many on the right to dismiss Canadian influence.  It remains to be seen if Trudeau and the Liberals can move public opinion in America in a more socially and economically "liberal" direction in time for the election of a Democratic majority in Congress and the Presidency.  I have a feeling the economic situation in 2016 will have more to do with Democratic fortunes than the politics of Canada, but having a Liberal northern neighbor can' hurt, can it?

Sunday and Monday morning freeze

I spent most of Saturday harvesting the last of the warm weather crops like peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and squash before the consecutive freezes on Saturday night and Sunday.  It is a ritual every year and I usually watch the veggies go bad over the next couple of weeks as there is way too much for even the extended family to eat fresh.  The temps dipped into the low 20s last night, so even the lettuces which I double covered with spun polyester cloth are probably damaged.  A warm rain is forecast for tonight which will revive the hardier crops, but the handwriting is on the wall.  The growing season is over.  I hope we will see better conditions next year, but I'm not counting on it.

Into the Freezer

Snow showers and the first deep freeze of the season are in the forecast for this weekend on the NCR.  Aside from a few light frosts the weather has been unusually clement for October.  There are still beans, peppers, squash and few eggplant in the garden.  Unfortunately, they will be casualties of the coming frosty assault.  The hardier inhabitants like kale, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and the Chinese cabbages along with carrots and beets will take this weekend in stride and continue to thrive as we warm up next week.   It will be interesting to see what is left when the Divine Mrs. M and I get back from our Italian tour in mid November. 

The coming narrative

The pundits love them a horse race and a glimmering of what they are touting is coming into focus.  With Hillary's strong performance in the Democrats debate, and the new polls showing The Donald pulling away from the Republican establishment candidates, the emerging consensus is for these two to be the candidates of their respective parties.  Of course if Clinton falters when confronting the Benghazi committee or if Trump does something screamingly stupid things will change.   However, this would appear to be the preference of those who treat out quadrennial attempts at governance as a high school popularity contest. 

A civil time was had by all

The Dems had their first debate last night in the slightly jarring setting of a Las Vegas casino.  The stakes were certainly high enough for all concerned.  I think everyone involved can be proud of their performance.  They all got the chance to make their points and in a marked contrast to their Republican competitors there were no personal attacks on each other, illegal immigrants, people of color or gays.  The debate was remarkably substantive, so it probably drew far less viewers than the free-for-alls starring The Donald and a host of others.  Hillary was obviously the most prepared and wonky of the participants and cemented her place as the front runner.  Bernie Sanders was caught off guard a couple of times, but persisted with his message of fiscal inequality which scored well with the audience.  The other participants, Lincoln Chaffee, Jim Webb and Martin O'Malley showed why they are all polling in the low single digits and did nothing to break out of the pack.  I look forward to more of the same in future debates.  I sincerely doubt Joe Biden will jump in at this point.  Hillary's performance should have given him pause.

Las Vegas and Biden's gamble

The Democratic presidential candidates are finally getting their first debate on TV tonight.  That's the good news for them.  The bad is that unless they can't get The Donald  to be in the live audience, their ratings are liable to be worse than a rerun of The Apprentice.  Seriously, the only thing most pundits are  focusing on is the impending announcement from Joe Biden as to whether he will run or not.  What they don't say is if he was in the contest, by now he would have used up the sympathy of his personal history and would be roundly dismissed by the very serious people as a second tier politician who made a good vice president for Obama, but has little to offer by way of policy.  As a senator from Delaware, he basically did as the banks and financial institutions headquartered there instructed him.    He has nothing to say to the middle class except he can see it from the Amtrak train as it carries him home to Wilmington.  The only reason he is being touted is his ability to cause trouble for Hillary.  Let's face it, Bernie Sanders makes most pundits uncomfortable because he indirectly questions their membership in the 1%.  Biden will make them feel good.  It is still a big gamble for Biden and he is probably basing his decision on what happens tonight.  If Hillary stumbles, look for a quick announcement.

Promises of Autumn

The mountains encircling the NCR have assumed their seasonal coat of many colors albeit in somewhat muted shades.  We seem to have gone from green to rainbow in the space of a few days.  Usually when this happens, the leaves drop quickly and the heralds of winter hold forth.  I am hoping it doesn't happen that way this autumn.   The garden continues to produce its bounty and there are ample opportunities for outdoor activities.  The Monzeglio clan gathered at a local brewery to sample the product and enjoy a little live music on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon.  Unfortunately it was the last such opportunity until next year.  On the plus side, a good time was had by all, even if the Divine Mrs. M's favored libation was root beer. 

The republican circus

Having dispatched John Boehner to a blissful life of golf and lobbying, the republican caucus in the House decided his chosen successor, Kevin McCarthy was a little too honest to front the GOP and thereby found themselves on the horns of a dilemma.  Now, no one wants to ride herd on the fractious cats which make up today's republican party, especially the far right wing crazies, so they may be stuck with Boehner as the only man who can steer the leaky ship through the next few months of high stakes negotiations with the Obama administration.  The beltway media hails Paul Ryan as the only man who can take Boehner's place, but Ryan has already figured out his ambitions to run for president someday would take a fatal hit if he grabs the third rail of the speakership.  Of course, the last time this particular circus came to town, the house leadership chose the relatively unknown Dennis Hastert to be speaker and he delivered the modicum of leadership necessary to keep things moving.  Now, the leadership is in disarray and the few candidates who have announced are horrifically under qualified for the job.  Hopefully the House can at least do the minimum necessary to keep the nation running until the next election, when, hopefully the people will elect grownups to conduct our business instead of a bunch of flying monkeys.

Still feeling the Bern

I am still conflicted about the Democratic party's potential nominees.  As in 2007, I liked Hillary at the start of the campaign, but switched to Obama because I felt he would hew to the traditional values I cherish as a democrat (big and small D).  I'm starting to feel the same way about the present contest.  I still like Hillary and would be happy to vote for her as the first woman president.  She would also provide the added bonus of Bill Clinton as the first First Gentleman.  It would be a formidable team.  Bernie on the other hand appeals to the radical wonk in me.  He is advocating a bloodless revolution which will empower the working and middle classes at the expense of the 1%.  By building a grass roots movement of millions of small donors, he is giving us a stake in the government and our participation in the governing process.  He even appeals to republicans who finally figured out their party is only interested in their votes, not their concerns.  That, unfortunately is what bothers me about the institutional Democratic party.  It is nearly equally beholden to the 1% as the republicans and its chosen nominee, Hillary, Biden, or some other establishment figure will find it hard to cut the strings controlling them.  I have no such concerns regarding Sanders.  If he was 20 years younger, I would already have signed up to work for him.

The Solution that dare not be named

Some of my friends and others questioned my blogging regarding the gun control issue.  Lukewarm support for "common sense gun control" by democrats and absolute opposition to any restriction of "gun rights" by republicans has pretty well stalled anything like progress on this issue.  Less than 50 years ago, both parties subscribed to some well meaning measures and Lyndon Johnson actually signed a bill somewhat limiting guns.  Even as recently as the early 1990s, Ronald Reagan was on record opposing the Saturday night specials.  One of these cheap, disposable handguns nearly ended his life.  Funny how victims of shootings and their immediate family quickly see the virtue of limiting access to guns.  Of course, the real solution to the problem is twofold;  identifying and restricting access by the mentally ill and criminals to guns and rigorous taxing and regulation for the rest of us.  If someone wants to build an arsenal of legal guns, homeland security should know the location of said arsenal and there should be a tax on each and every weapon each year with an increase for each addition to the cache.  A legitimate hunter looking to put food on the table would not have to pay for the privilege, but the dilettante who wants to display 20 different hunting rifles can easily afford the tax.  The same could probably not be said of the Oregon shooter.  Forcing all gun owners to register their guns is well within the government's mandate to protect the commonwealth.  The easy slogans of the NRA regarding second amendment rights need to be challenged in the interests of the vast majority of citizens who are increasingly threatened by the proliferation of firearms.  There are now more guns in the US than people.  What does that say about our national character?

The best month of all

At least in gardening terms, October is the best month of all.  The investment of time, money and effort is paying dividends, as everything from carrots to zucchini is available for consumption and no additional time or work is required except the actual harvest.  The first half of the month looks extremely clement with temps predicted to range from theupper 30s to the upper 60s.  The cauliflower, broccoli, nappa and bok choy will continue to grow, as will the lettuce.   The farmer's market is pretty much history, so much of what is out there will not be harvested except for what friends, family and the local co-op can use.  If I have the time, there is housekeeping to be done and compost to spread, but if not, the world won't end.  The only pressing task is to plant next year's garlic crop before the Divine Mrs. M and I leave for Italy at the end of the month.  In the meantime, I'll bask in the glow of a season with ups and downs but finishing on a high note.

Conservative or reactionary

Whether it is Joe Scarborough complaining there is no solution to the problem of mass shootings at schools because "it's complicated" (spoiler alert; it's not) to Jeb Bush and most of the other republican presidential candidates pushing fossil fuels in the face of abundant evidence that wind and solar are the energy sources of the future, the conservative face of policy has increasingly been to rail at or dismiss progressive alternatives.   As recently as the early 2000s, Paul Krugman points out even Dick Cheney's energy task force looked at renewables and conservation as valid strategies.  There is no hint of this in Jeb!'s energy policy.  Likewise, when it comes to the epidemic of gun violence, conservatives genuflect to the second amendment and throw up their hands, saying it is too complicated to expect legislation to deter mass shootings.  Meanwhile all other industrialized nations have a fraction of the gun violence we experience.  The difference;  they limit the availability of firearms to most citizens.  These are just a couple of policy areas where the forces of reaction have paralyzed a major political party and forced us to endlessly debate the validity of things which all other nations have already settled in favor of progressive alternatives.  

Shoot, rrinse, repeat

Yesterday, ten more people died on the altar of the NRA's obsession with guns.   A visibly angry President asked how 90% of the population is in favor of rudimentary gun control legislation that can't seem to clear Congress.  How is it that literally thousands of people die from gun violence every year in this country while the figures are tiny fractions of that in every other industrialized country in the world.  A tiny minority with outsize power is  holding us hostage to a vampire industry of gun manufacturers and sellers.  With the NRA as its mouthpiece, this gun industrial complex is culpable for many if not most of gun deaths in the US because of its intransigent opposition to any checks on the distribution and sale of firearms.  While background checks of potential purchasers is a starting point, the ultimate goal should be the licensing of every gun owner in the country, the same as licensing every motor vehicle operator.   We don't allow demonstrably crazy people to drive.  They should not have access to guns either.

Truth in government

Not to be outdone by the clowns in the republican presidential nomination car, Kevin Mcarthy let the truth be known regarding the House Select Committee on Benghazi.  Bragging on his qualifications to succeed John Boehner as House Speaker, he told Sean Hannity that he and others in the Republican leadership orchestrated the formation of the committee to attack Hillary Clinton and bring down her poll numbers.  This committee has already lasted longer than the Watergate or 9/11 investigations and follows numerous other probes of the tragedy at Benghazi.   None of them ever uncovered any official wrongdoing concerning the loss of life at the consulate, but the repubs have been using it as a fundraising opportunity and a club to bash Clinton's actions as Secretary of State.  It looks like Mcarthy will be a welcome respite from Boehner's humorless tenure as Speaker.  I foresee many future examples of inadvertent truth telling and foot in mouth moments.  Let the show begin.