Springing ahead

The official start of spring on the NCR was celebrated with the first planting of peppers and eggplant seed at Casa Monzeglio on Saturday.  The ritual was a little later than usual, since I didn't start any rosemary plants this year.  As followers of this blog may recall, I have vowed to cut down on the extent of gardening this year to focus on more mundane home repairs and spending more time with the growing family.  The siren call of growing things is still strong, but starting with a smaller seed order I believe I can resist temptation.  Time will tell.....
 

The Clone empire strikes back

Listening to the outtakes of the republican debate last night was like a Star Wars moment.  The establishment clone, Marcobot Rubio finally unleashed his fury on the Jedi master, but it was a case of too little, too late.  The Donald continues his "mind tricks" to divert the attacks or turn them back on Rubio and Cruz.  Besides, Trump's fans and voters are used to the substance free and dog whistle laden republican message which is basically "Trust us to make sure the government doesn't help people who don't look like you".  The difference is Trump seems willing to depart from the small government message of self reliance in the face of massive corporation disruption of the industries which employed and created the middle class.  As any thinking person can see, the only counterbalance to the Empire of the 1% is a government which has equal power and will use it to give ordinary citizens a level playing field.  The establishment candidates have to tow the Koch brothers' line or risk the wrath of the wingnut welfare system which takes care of them.  Trump is relatively immune to that threat and so is able to flaunt his independence from their money.  His simplistic message of winning and magic ponies is laughable and at the same time deadly serious.  If he was another Hitler of Mussolini, he could do incredible damage to what is left of our democracy.  As it is, he is destroying one of the two political parties with gleeful abandon.  I don't pity the republicans, but I do worry about the possibility of a real Machiavelli using Trump's tactics to turn us all to the dark side.

Driving Mr. Daisy

It is with a great deal of trepidation I approach the subject of self driving cars.  According to many experts on the subject, the technology is advancing by leaps and bounds and some confidently predict the last persons to actually drive cars will be born sometime in the near future.  To those of us brought up in the car crazy 1960s, a self driving car is nothing to cheer.  We eagerly awaited our 16th birthdays so we could get our learner's permit and join the adult world.  The idea of hormone crazed adolescents with control over 2 tons of metal hurtling down the back streets of America now fills me with historical angst.  My high school class lost 3 people to car accidents before graduation.  Meanwhile, Google's automatic cars have logged over a million miles with only minor accidents caused by the other driver.  Still, the feeling of freedom and power conferred on young drivers is hard to compare to the safety and reliability of its driverless counterpart.  My generation actually looked to the Jetsons for the ultimate expression of driver freedom, the driver operated flying car.  It will be a hard adjustment...

"leadership" via reality TV

Kevin Drum at Mother Jones is wondering how so many different slices of the republican electorate can be taken in by the reality TV campaign of The Donald.  Rich and poor, young and old, it doesn't seem to matter.  Some are racists, some are conservatives or libertarians.  He can't seem to connect the dots to see what unites these people.  Personally, I think most of Trump's supporters long for an authoritarian voice to tell them to leave it all to Big Daddy.  One of the most admirable traits of President Obama's leadership style is he doesn't go for the easy demagogic response.  He wants us to know what he is doing and agree with him that bullying friends and enemies alike is not a good foreign policy.  That scapegoating immigrants for the results of 50 years of failed policies is not the way to solve the "immigration problem".  Finally, Obama wants us to be involved in the business of government and politics, despite the fact most of us don't have the time and inclination to become participants.  Non involvement is a feature, not a bug in Trump's policies.  Leave it all to him and "there will be so much winning" we will get tired of it.  By abdicating our responsibilities we can check off the good government box and go back to binge watching whatever hot show is now popular.  I think that is the down deep attraction of the demagogue.  We ignore that attraction at our peril.

GOP dilemma

As the Trump juggernaut picks up speed, we are treated to more and more stories of panic in the republican hierarchy.  If they officially disavow The Donald, they risk appearing irrelevant as 35-40% of the base flocks to Trump.  The landslide of establishment support for the Marcobot and his radical agenda has been met with indifference or hostility by supporters of the other candidates.  He finished a distant second in Nevada and apparently doesn't lead in the polls even in his home state of Florida.  The rest of the field is not inclined to retire and throw their support behind Rubio and in the background, Mitt Romney hovers, waiting to swoop in as the savior in the event of a brokered convention.  Meanwhile, as Trump gets even more comfortable in front of eager audiences, he becomes progressively more difficult to dislodge.  The threat of a third party candidacy driven by his media appeal could effectively peel away enough electoral votes to doom any mainstream republican candidate.  The empty suits now running the party would seem to be in a no-win situation.  Boo-Hoo!

Weather wondering

A new study says the oceans could rise as much as 3 1/2 feet by the year 2100.  Western states in the Colorado River Basin are gearing up to fight over how much water they can skim from the river as it passes through.  Maple syrup producers in Ontario and Quebec are bracing for a bad season due to unseasonably warm weather and the tourist business is suffering in the North Country due to lack of snow.  All of these stories were in the papers or on the radio this morning and they all have to do with an issue being denied by a major political party in the US, namely the republicans.  As Miami Beach and South Florida suffer more and more flooding due to sea level rise, the Marcobot continues to deny the evidence.  Meanwhile, I'm sure Sen. Imhofe has a few snowballs stored in his freezer from the last snowstorm in D.C.  That way he can toss a few on the floor of the Senate the next time someone brings up climate change.  The new reports also speculate that if nothing is done soon, by the middle of the 22nd century many coastal cities around the world will have to be abandoned.  At what point does obstruction of needed legislation to deal with this crisis become a crime?

Trumped by the Base

As Jeb Bush slouched into the sunset on Saturday, he must have felt confused and annoyed.  The fervent base of the republican party, assiduously cultivated by his father and brother had delivered a stinging referendum on his candidacy and validated the rise of a New York vulgarian who mocked him as a "low energy" candidate.  I guess the Bushes went to the well one too many times and expected the lower middle class base of republican voters to trust them once more.  This time, however, the voters must have been whistling "Won't get fooled again" as they pulled the levers which elevated a serial liar to a commanding lead as the primary season heads into super Tuesday.  The analysts are telling us the voters are suffering from Bush Fatigue Syndrome and that explains the vote.  However, Trump got a majority of evangelical voters, despite his multiple divorces, foul mouth and erstwhile liberal bona fides.  It would seem these people have just tired of the establishment telling them what to believe and are voting for anyone who is willing to bad mouth the policies and people Jeb! depended on.  What this presages for the rest of the campaign is anyone's guess, but one thing is sure, it will be a generation, if ever, before the national electorate votes for a Bush.

the Sanders Paradox

After watching Bernie Sanders handle the Town Hall questioners last night, my heart tugged me in his direction once again.  I went to bed before Hillary had her chance, so I don't know what my head would have told me.  But reading Paul Krugman's column on "Varieties of Voodoo" this morning was a splash of cold water on the Bern.  Krugman criticizes the Sanders campaign for approving a recent paper by economist Gerald Friedman which claims that Sander's economic program would more than double economic growth in the US for the next 10 years and boost the labor participation rate to numbers which haven't been seen since the late 1980s.  Since 25% of the American population over the age of 20 will be older than 65 by 2020, unless Bernie plans for us geezers to be swinging pickaxes and rebuilding infrastructure, I don't see how he can reach those levels.  Meanwhile, Krugman argues if the left indulges in their own brand of voodoo economics it will be harder to criticize the right when they indulge in tax cutting fantasies.  Unfortunately, Americans are ever ready to believe snake oil salesmen as witnessed by their fascination with The Donald, Tailgunner Ted Cruz, and the Marcobot.  I guess progressives are hoping Bernie's brand of voodoo  is more potent than the oppositions.

Scalia remembered

According to a recent poll, two thirds of the adult American population can't even name one supreme court judge.  That means the recent death of Antonin Scalia and its effect on the next election will not be nearly as tectonic as many pundits would have us believe.  Of course the true believers on the left and right will be energized to vote based on the chance the next president will appoint his successor.  But most of these people (myself included) don't need the extra push.  Meanwhile, after the knee jerk praise for the "brilliant jurist" flooded the airwaves for the first week, a more measured assessment is taking place in the reality based community.  Far from the strict originalist doctrine he preached, Scalia was ever ready to throw history to the wind in service to his ideology.  He was also a no compromise, burn the house down radical who rarely convinced anyone to agree with him.  A racist, bigot and gay bashing homophobe, he will not be missed by men of good will.  As part of the majority which awarded the 2001 presidential election to the shrub, he bears responsibility for the feckless jerk inflicted on us for 8 years.   Tens of thousands of dead Iraqis, as well as several thousand dead and wounded Americans are a lasting testimony to the damage one man can do.  If there is indeed a heaven and a hell, I am relatively sure where Justice Scalia will be spending eternity.

Two nations

Listening to NPR this morning, it struck me that Lincoln may have reunited the country after the civil war, but he didn't heal the division.  A South Carolina man was telling the reporter he has a son in the military and it is a shame Obama has neglected our defense.  We spend as much on "defense" as the next 8 countries put together!   Our military is basically an empire driven protection force with tentacles around the globe.  Without the military Keyneseism practiced by Congress our economy would be in a shambles.  Our biggest exports are weapons.  It doesn't require deep thinking to realize most of our economic innovations are driven by the need to remain the lone superpower in a world which for the most part reviles us and here was a person who is committed to support whoever winds up driving the clown car for the Republicans.  He might as well be living in another world, let alone another nation.

Privacy vs. need to know

Apple has decided to go all in against the government's order that it create the software to bypass the encryption in the company's I-phone.   At stake is the investigation of the San Bernadino shooters and what may be on Sayed Farook's phone which may shed light on jihadist connections he may have had.  Of course the security freaks are out in full force saying we should all give up any rights of privacy in the search for hypothetical foreign terrorist links.   Every time there is a terrorist attack, the authoritarian right comes out from under whatever rock they are hiding under to argue we must give up another right to combat the evil-doers.   Since 9-11 we have shredded the Bill of Rights in numerous fruitless fishing expeditions, including the government collection of bulk data from the telephone companies.   Where does it all end?  While I think Apple is fighting the judge's order more out of competitive considerations, I hope they succeed.  We are heading toward a security state where every citizen's action is scrutinized and no privacy remains.  George Orwell would be disappointed.  It took an additional 22 years to reach 1984!

February Blues

Normally, by this point in the winter, disgust with cold, ice and snow has settled over the population in the northern half of the country.  The mild November and December weather revised our expectations to anticipate an early spring and groundhogs confirmed them.  However, Old Man Winter has decided to pay a call.  After a frozen weekend, a snow and freezing rain event made the roads into skating rinks this morning, while higher elevations will get up to a foot of snow.  Most people are tired of this reversion to seasonal norms.    While we are on the downside of Feb., we still have a cruel March and an indifferent April to look forward to.  Fortunately, the republican and democratic campaigns will provide plenty of indoor entertainment until Spring finally arrives!

Chilling out

Staying warm for the weekend was job one at Casa Monzeglio.  With wind chills of -30 for much of Saturday and Sunday, outdoor activities were kept to a minimum.  There was plenty of entertainment available, thanks to providence and the GOP debate on Saturday night.  With the surprise death of "Nino" Scalia, the brilliant but perverse Supreme Court justice, the candidates got to play to the cheap seats by going on record as opposing anyone the President might nominate to succeed Scalia.  For some reason the republicans decided to deny a "lame duck" president the constitutional duty to fill vacancies in the Supreme Court.  Of course it is OKIYAR (it's OK if you are republican) as Ronald Reagan's appointment of Justice Kennedy in 1988 proves.  How anyone can look at this roster of poo flinging monkeys and descry a presidential nominee is beyond my powers of comprehension.

Deep Freeze

It looks like the NCR will be in deep freeze mode this weekend.  It was -5 degrees this morning and it will be colder than that on Saturday and Sunday.  With wind chills we will be feeling like -30.  Of course we all knew we would pay for a freakishly warm December and after all, it is February, so when the present weather passes, chances are we will be thinking about spring.  Meanwhile, the Presidential sweepstakes continue.  Hillary and Bernie traded charges last night.  Hillary is too close to Wall Street and Bernie is so unrealistic as to be in a fantasy world.  However, at his most visionary, Bernie is still firmly grounded compared to the republican contenders.  Trump, Cruz, et. al would turn us into a rogue nation on day one, repudiating treaties, deporting millions and antagonizing friends and foes alike.  In his one note disparagement of Bernie's democratic socialist dream of making us more like Denmark, David Brooks, in his column in the NYT, sings a hymn to the economy which allows one in five children to grow up in poverty while Brooks and his fellow elitists exist in guarded enclaves and congratulating themselves on their up by the bootstraps life stories.  As children of wealthy parents, they had already punched their cards to a life of ease at birth.  Maybe the rest of us would be willing to pay higher taxes to live in a social democracy with a level playing field.  Brooks worries the entrepreneurial spirit would be drained from America if  the rich have to pay higher taxes. I for one think the Steve Jobs and Elon Musks of the world would thrive in a more egalitarian America and we would celebrate their successes, even as they contributed their fair share to that society.

SC comedy

I observed the 5 minute rule vis a vis the execrable "Morning Joe" show on MSNBC.  After 5 minutes and usually before that, Joe Scarborough says something so outrageously stupid or patently false that my self control starts to fade and I look for things to throw at the TV or radio.  Sometimes unintentional comedy breaks out and today was a good example.  One of Scarborough's favorite pundits, the vapid Mark Halperin was interviewing a focus group of supposedly random GOP voters from South Carolina and he asked them where they get their political information.   I expected most of them to say Faux News, but surprisingly, many said it was from friends and acquaintances they met at church and a couple actually admitted to agreeing with information they got from listening to the Glenn Beck radio show.  If I wasn't laughing so hard I would probably weep. 

Voter concerns

According to exit polls, the biggest concerns of republican voters were illegal immigrants, the economy and terrorism.  35% of these brainiacs voted for Trump.  Memo to Trumpeters;  illegal immigration has been steadily falling for years, a serial bankruptcy declarer is not a good choice to handle the economy and the average New Hampshirite has as much chance of being struck by a meteorite as being killed by a terrorist.  Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, economic inequality was seen as the number one concern.  Fair enough, but voting for someone who has declared his independence from the party and whose biggest legislative accomplishment is renaming 3 Vermont Post Offices doesn't exactly fill me with confidence in the discernment of Dem voters either.  I guess it was just the same frustration I often feel with the political system.  For 30 years, the GOP has proclaimed government is the problem.  The very fact they are running for office in what they declare is a dysfunctional system should disqualify them from serving if elected!  So instead the electorate votes for people who claim they will overhaul the system.  For the moment, Trump looks like the legitimate driver of the clown car.  Sanders on the other hand must now compete in states which are more representative of the real democratic coalition. 

Undecided

One of the most annoying aspects of the New Hampshire primary is the number of voters who cheerfully announce they are undecided about whom they will vote for.  Come on people.  You have been bombarded by information for several months.  If you are even mildly engaged in the process you are probably on a first name basis with several of the candidates.  Being coy with reporters about your choice is borderline crazy.  Tell them you won't reveal your choice, but don't tell us you won't make up your mind until you enter the voting booth.  If that is the case, you have disqualified yourself as a participant in the process.

A new Season

The first seed order arrived in the mail yesterday.  The new season has started, despite the snow and the predicted sub-zero temperatures coming this weekend.  The pristine seed packets represent the hopes and dreams for the 2016 garden.  At this point, there are no weeds and no diseases.  We are not suffering drought or deluges and the temperatures are always perfect.  No matter who wins the primary in New Hampshire today, the calendar will continue its inexorable march to the spring solstice and the first seedings. 

Doubling down

This blog has momentarily been taken over by the current political circus.   I will try to avoid talking about it as often in the future, but the weekend's Republican debate and the importance of New Hampshire in the process of picking presidential candidates forces a summary of the ongoing farce that is the republican campaign.   Marco Rubio was unmasked yet again as a shallow naïf.  His fallback on the same canned talking points drew vitriol from Chris Christie, but his attack may have backfired by seeming to be a bully's instead of an unmasking of a superficial lightweight.  Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, Bill Clinton attacked Bernie's one note campaign as being as much in a bubble as the Republican's.   Unfortunately, if Hillary cannot rouse the enthusiasm of her supporters, she may be buried by Bernie's calls for a "political revolution".  That his rhetoric appeals to the young, many of whom can't be bothered to turn out on election day, is a bad sign for Dems. 

Snow White and Rumplestilskin

On stage in New Hampshire, the Bernie and Hillary show went into overdrive for a few minutes last night as Bernie's inner Rumplestilskin  ruffled Hillary's carefully dressed Snow White over her speaking fees from the Vampire Squid (As Matt Taibbi christened Goldman-Sachs).  While Hillary squirmed a little, she did manage to spit out a litany of progressive causes she has embraced and furthered.  I would still like to see the transcript of the Goldman speech however.  Meanwhile, Bernie continues to dodge the charge of socialism.  Despite his legions of admirers of which I count myself as one, polling has consistently found a majority of Americans would rather elect an atheist than a socialist (Although with Bernie they would be getting a twofer), and athiests are pretty far up the list of things most Americans profess to hate.  As much as both Democrats would have preferred to focus on policy, both Rachel Maddow and Chuck Todd realized there is very little difference in most of their positions and so focused on the issues most likely to provoke the candidates.  I can't wait til  the eventual nominee debates the survivor of the clown car.  On a lighter note, the Divine Mrs. M and I would like to welcome Big Steve to the sixties club today.  Happy Birthday Bro and may all your wishes come true!

More than skin deep

The policy and stylistic differences between Bernie and Hillary should be on full display this evening when they are showcased in a one on one debate moderated by MSNBC.   While most republicans will dismiss this as a lovefest hosted by conservative baiting scourge, Rachel Maddow and suspected liberal (he's not) Chuck Todd, democrats should get a better idea of the views the candidates espouse.  As the standard bearer of measured progress, Hillary must reassure the left wing of the party that she will respond to the concerns of the base regarding income inequality and social mobility as well as climate change and a hawkish foreign policy.  Bernie, on the other hand needs to answer charges that he is selling a dream as far as "political revolution" is concerned.  He needs to show the more conservative, mostly older and wealthier democrats in the middle his history of legislative failure is merely a prelude to executive success.   Single payer health insurance, breaking up the big banks and free college for all sound great, but when all you have to show for 25 years in Congress are 3 bills renaming post offices in Vermont and an oppo research dream of radical connections, as Desi would say to Lucy, you've got some "splaining" to do.  Let the debate begin...

Building a family

Congratulations to Benjamin Robert Groleau, the newest member of the Monzeglio clan.  Bennie Bob as he is known to his adoring family was officially adopted by my daughter Alicia and her husband Rick.   Aside from a few problems associated with his preemie birth, he has been a joy to everyone who knows him.   Always ready with a smile and a willingness to please, Bennie is loved wherever he goes.  In his case, a loving adoptive family was ready and willing to take him.  The foster system is filled with many cases which don't end as happily.  Drug addicted mothers and fathers, jailed for major and minor offenses leave many children adrift in a foster care system which is understaffed and overwhelmed by the demands of a dysfunctional society.  However, there are notable exceptions which should be celebrated.  Welcome Bennie Bob.  We love you.

And they're off

The pundits are wallowing in the results of last night's Iowa caucuses.  Who is up, down or sideways will occupy them from now until the New Hampshire results replace these initial tea leaf readings.  The consensus so far is Cruz and Rubio are the big winners for republicans and of course Hillary is a big loser even though she managed a narrow win over Bernie.  That is the boilerplate for most commentators.  Of course, everyone will be waiting for some response from The Donald.  His less than stellar showing will be analyzed to a fare thee well and the establishment will eagerly write him off.  Of course the people of Iowa, or at least the few per cent who actually participated in the caucuses have had their outsize months of fame despite the fact they are hardly representative of the general population.  It's a crazy system we use to elect our leaders, but for the moment we are stuck with it.

Finally

The presidential race begins in earnest today as the Iowa caucuses meet to pick candidates.  One of the questions neither side seems to seriously question is the overwhelming militarism of today's society.  Whether it is the right of manly men (and women) to wear a holstered gun on their hips to the fact we spend more on "defense" than the next eight countries combined, no one wants to confront this 500 lb. gorilla.   We cannot address the myriad problems we face as a nation while we spend 30-40% or more of our national budget  to prop up a façade of an almighty military on the backs of an increasingly destitute population.  Our infrastructure continues to decay even as we spend billions on unchallenged ships and planes.  The fact the facilities that produce these white elephants are sprinkled throughout the country to assure widespread congressional support is not coincidental.  We can count on the GOP to continue this military Keynesianism as it simultaneously pleases their supporters in the military industrial complex and inspires the benighted lower and middle classes who see our unchallenged military as reflecting glory on them even as they sink lower economically.  On the democratic side, Bernie has questioned some of these shibboleths, but as a socialist, most will not take him seriously.  Hillary has the credentials to actually begin the process of de-militarizing the nation if she is able to get  elected.  Let's hope Iowa begins the process.