Condemning the Enablers

One reason the insult comedian continues his tired act in the oval office is the many staffers in the White House who excuse the lies, and defend the indefensible tweets and moronic statements propagated on a daily basis by this *president.   Chief  among them is the press secretary, the loathsome Sarah Huckabee Sanders, aka the spawn of Huck.   While it is uncharitable to criticize her appearance, an occasional smile might lend a little humanity to a visage only a mother could love.  However, her blind devotion to the demented head of state she serves is the real reason for disapproval.  After being questioned as to how the *president could retweet an obviously doctored video showing a dutch boy being beaten by a muslim, which was subsequently denounced by the British PM, all she could say was whether the video was true or not, the problem of muslim terrorism is point tRump was making.  How any self respecting human being could go before the national press and make that argument is beyond my understanding.  Enabling the racist, islamophobic impulses boiling out of this administration is something she should answer for when the entire rotten edifice crumbles.  Like Ron Zeigler, the press flack for Tricky Dick, Sanders will go down in history as a poor joke of a human being.

Another Shoe drops

Matt Lauer has joined the parade of men accused of sexual misconduct by fellow workers.  He was fired from the Today show this morning, apparently minutes before the show was about to begin.   We seem to be rapidly approaching the "reign of terror" moment when firings and public shaming of media and government figures become more and more indiscriminate.  Most of us know what happened in the aftermath of the French Revolution.  The reaction against the excesses of Robespierre led to the Empire and a retrenchment of privilege.  I wonder if the present purge will result in something similar.

Franken and Moore and fairness

Both of the above named men have been accused of sexual harassment by credible victims.  They have dealt with the charges in diametrically opposite ways, and the response of their constituencies is instructive.   While most of Franken's supporters, myself included, were shocked by the stories, we could console ourselves that at least he made a heartfelt apology (with a little prodding) and continues to express his shame and embarrassment.  Even his first accuser did not insist he resign after his apology.  Meanwhile, Roy Moore remains defiant, dismissing his accusers as liars, despite numerous corroborations, ala his role model, the *president.  While he has lost some support in deep red Alabama, Moore is still the odds on favorite to win Jeff Sessions senate seat.  I doubt Franken will run for reelection and wouldn't be surprised to see him lose if he did compete, despite his mea culpas.   While I sympathize with the women who were harassed in both cases, it seems that doing the right thing results in punishment, while doubling down on the crimes gets the perp a free pass.  Democrats must eat their own, while Republicans smirk on their way to election.   I don't know about you, but it seems fairness is phenomenon experienced mostly by liberals.

Onward Christmas Soldiers

Now that Thanksgiving is safely in the rearview mirror, the attention of most of my fellow countrymen has now turned to Christmas.  Cyber Monday is upon us and according to NPR we will be spending at least 6 billion dollars online today.  A majority of the spending will be on stuff most of us will thank the giver for and promptly deposit in a closet somewhere out of sight.  Having participated in 66 Christmases as a giver and receiver of gifts, I am torn by the desire to give versus the near certainty that most of the gifts will probably wind up in the aforementioned closet.  Ah, the Christmas spirit is here!

Thankfulness

I'm still recovering from the annual turkey jubilee, but I did want to make one point about family.  The Divine Mrs. M and I are fortunate we don't have to deal with any crazy uncles decrying liberal politics on Thanksgiving Day.  While we do have these people in the family, they are safely ensconced in a Faux News bubble in Florida.  We do exchange Christmas cards with some of them, but that is the extent of our interaction.  My siblings and virtually all of their immediate families are in sync regarding the virtue or lack of same of our political parties, so we can concentrate on thankfulness and eating, the real meaning of Thanksgiving!

Disempowering the people

Kevin Drum reported yesterday on two issues which show how people are screwed over by policies enacted by republican lawmakers and the present administration.  In the first instance, state legislatures in 9 states controlled by republicans have passed laws disenfranchising anyone with outstanding court fees, fines or legal fees.  In Alabama that amounts to over 100,000 people or more than 3% of voting age residents.  It goes without saying these are overwhelmingly black and poor people who may have been caught up in the system for traffic infractions, missed child support payments or any of the myriad costs incurred by poor people during their interaction with the legal system that most of us take for granted.   Most of these voters being denied their rights are democratic voters, but of course this is a feature, not a bug to most republicans.  Drum's other point was the rapid devolvement of the sexual harassment issue into a partisan imbroglio.  While everyone piously agrees this is a zero tolerance issue, it has rapidly become a continuing story of republican denial and obfuscation and democratic acceptance and punishment.  The parallel stories of Al Franken and Roy Moore are instructive in this regard.  One credible accuser has so far come forth in the case of Franken.  After a brief period of soul searching, Franken issued a humble apology and agreed to cooperate with a congressional investigation. Moore, on the other hand has denied the charges of 9 women (and counting) and has impugned their integrity, implying this is a partisan attack.  This is the tRump playbook.   As Drum points out, if democrats see this is a heads I win, tails you lose situation, their continued cooperation will be suspect.  If being an insensitive asshole gets you a pass, more men of all political persuasions will be more likely to join the asshole political party.  Taken together, these point out essential differences in the political parties at this juncture in history.  It is up to individuals to reward good behavior at the ballot box and punish bad.  Let's hope the majority feels the same way.  Alabama's special election provides a test case.  It will be interesting to see  what the results say about the state of our politics in 2017.

Reading the fine print

Many of us political junkies have been obsessed with the continuing investigations of the Trump administration's ties to Russia.  This has led to blindness regarding the continuing despoliation of the federal government and the judiciary by the supposed "incompetents" hired by the Orange Narcissus.  These people may not be competent in the sense that good administrators who know the mission of their departments are, but when it comes to destruction, they are top notch.  State, EPA, Interior and Education are being hollowed out as we speak and if Tom Price had not been forced out of Health and Human Services the same would be happening to that department.  Meanwhile, the stacking of the Federal judiciary continues at a breakneck pace.  The American Bar Association ratings are meaningless to this administration.  Instead, the litmus test is a far right ideology which can't be bothered by facts.  Recently, the Senate Judiciary committee voted along party lines to confirm a 36 year old blogger to a federal appeals court judgeship for life.  He has never tried a case and it seems his most salient qualification is marriage to a lawyer who works in the White House.  While we may be able to get rid of tRump in 2020, the nation will be dealing with the vandalism to our institutions for many years to come.  This is what you get when you elect a serial liar with no qualifications out of a desire to "shake things up".  Be careful what you vote for!

Theories of Relativity

The weekend news continued to be dominated by the continuing story of Roy Moore and the parade of women whose stories of underage "dating" and sexual assault at the hands of the Senate candidate from Alabama keep coming.  As most of the women respond to inquires of why they hadn't come forward sooner with the explanation that "no one asked us", it would put the excuses that it happened 40 years ago to rest.  Moore has not disputed the fact he pursued teenagers when he was a 30 something assistant D.A in Gadsen in the 70s.  He just maintains it was totally legal and his attentions did not cross any lines.  If I was writing ads for the democratic challenger, I would simply ask the voters of Alabama if they have wives, daughters, sisters or female friends and would they tolerate a 32 year old man making advances on these women when they were 14-16.  If they were fine with that thought, then go ahead and vote for Moore, since they  are no better than him.   As one commentator reacted to an evangelical pastor defending Moore, he decried the "moral relativity" of defending what is essentially child molestation by claiming the Lord is working through people such as Moore.  What a bankrupt thought!

What's good for the goose

So, now one of the liberal lions of the Senate, Al Franken stands accused and convicted with photographic evidence of at the very least sexual misconduct if not outright assault.  Franken promptly apologized and then donned sackcloth and ashes when his original contrition was not deemed sufficient.  This has led to the extremes of demanding his immediate resignation to advising him to "tough it out" until his term is up in 2020.  Personally I find myself ambivalent.  Franken was not a senator at the time, but a comedian who, at least in the picture in question made a pathetically poor attempt at comedy.  This may have been funny 50 years ago, but by 2006 when the incident took place it was definitely beyond the pale.  More troubling was the victims story about the forced kiss demanded by Franken in the name of rehearsing a comedy skit.  Still, if this is a one time event and Franken's apology is accepted as sufficient by the victim,  I believe the voters of Minnesota can decide Franken's fate in 2020.  If however a parade of harassed women come forward to accuse the senator, he should step down and deal with the fallout.   Holier than thou liberals need to take a deep breath before they turn what should be a teachable moment into a reign of terror.

The times they are a changin

Every generation finds new relevance in Bob Dylan's old folk tune.  The latest issue to reflect the lyrics is the struggle of women against the patriarchy and its insistence on objectifying and degrading the fair sex.  It started with Harvey Weinstein and has since snowballed into a full fledged examination of men's attitudes about women, sex and power.  Episodes of misogyny from decades ago have been dragged into the spotlight and the men who perpetrated the outrages are belatedly paying for them in the court of public opinion.  In a way, it is the Handmaid's Tale in reverse.  Now it is the men who must search their consciences for evidence of discrimination and pay a price in the court of public opinion.  Even Bill Clinton is not immune to the urge by many to force a reckoning on any man who took advantage of women by virtue of his superior position in the social and political hierarchy.  What most men still don't realize is we continue to enjoy an advantage over women because all of our social, political and religious institutions start with the assumption of male superiority.  In a way, it is worse than racism because it stems from the very earliest civilizations.  Unless and until several generations of men and women are raised as true equals, the struggle will continue.

Reflections

As I told one pre-emptive well wisher yesterday, I long ago stopped eagerly anticipating birthdays and have rarely reflected on the changes in body and mind which have occurred over the years.  For the most part I have welcomed the accumulation of years with the insouciance of youth.  For some reason I somehow felt I would avoid the aches and pains of the aging process and maintain the same level of performance at 66 as I did at 36.  Needless to say I have had a rude education regarding the effects of anno domini on bones and muscle.   I wish I could say that at least the mental processes have resisted the aging effect.  However, daily evidence to the contrary has destroyed that hope.  I'm left with the old saw which states that age imparts wisdom.  Reflecting on the spectacle of a 70 something pedophile brazenly running for the Senate in Alabama, I can't put to much stock in that nostrum.   Optimistically, I hope to continue in reasonably good health, enjoy the love of a very good woman, continue to enjoy work and play and watch the younger generations of the family grow and thrive.  That is my birthday wish.

The GOP's weiner problem

Much as Democrats had to deal with Anthony Weiner and his sexting problem, Republicans now must wrestle with their Roy Moore dilemma.  Both men have demonstrated they are manifestly unfit to represent at least half of the population.   The democrats were able to distance themselves from their pervert amid a universal chorus of approbation.   Both sides denounced Weiner and despite his one last try for public office he has basically faded from view.   Unfortunately for republicans, Roy Moore and many who support him will not go quietly into that good night.  Shoes continue to drop and even Sean Hannity may have to revise his endorsement.  There is something inherently skeevy about 30 something men preying on teenage girls that may turn enough voters to do the unthinkable and vote for a democrat, but the smart money is on Moore to win this election and become a democrat attack ad for the 2018  and 2020 elections in 49 states.  To paraphrase the late, great Edward R. Murrow,  " Alabama, have you no shame"?

Online immolation

The next time you click on the Amazon link or engage with another online retailer, it might behoove you to think of your local friends and neighbors and how our behaviors in this regard are impacting local communities.   The catalyst for this rant was a story in Bloomberg about the coming retail "apocalypse" coming to a mall near you and a visit to said local mall.  I generally avoid shopping if possible, but I needed a black suit to appear with the Divine Mrs. M in our local singing group's performance of Handel's Messiah next month.  Entering the local J.C. Penney with some trepidation, I was able to purchase my glad rags on sale at up to 60% off ticketed prices.  At checkout, I was informed I could save an additional 40% by signing up for a store credit card.  Having done so and being approved on the spot, I supposedly saved $270.00 on my purchase.  Now of course some of the savings were illusory, but to be able to buy a fairly decent suit and tie for $115.00 including taxes seemed almost too good to be true.  Penney is struggling against online competition and seems to be holding its own, but its debt is piling up and when it tries to refinance, the bell may start tolling.  While it may be hard to sympathize with tenants in malls which systematically destroyed downtown businesses, they at least provided jobs for local people.  Online merchants don't keep their profits in the local economy and don't provide jobs, unless you happen to be near a "fulfillment" center where you can work in a soul killing giant warehouse.  It looks like we are entering the retail endgame, where everything will be available online and brick and mortar will be obsolete, as will the retail jobs which so many low income workers depend on.  Think about that the next time you blow a wet kiss in Jeff Bezo's direction.

Lords of the Flies

As the controversy swirling around Senate candidate Roy Moore intensifies, it would seem that a strong strain of tribalism has come into play.   For Moore partisans, it would seem that unless his accusers of pedophilia can produce a tape showing the actual moment of unlawful contact between him and a 14 year old girl, there is no crime.  Probably there are a few republicans who would even argue against charges in that event.  Similarly, a reporter contacted people in Johnstown, Pa. who voted for Trump a year after the election to see if they had changed their minds.  When first interviewed, these mostly lower middle class whites were skeptical of Trump, but were ready to give him a chance to make their lives better.  Fast forward and the same people who set a time limit of 3-6 months to show results now say all that doesn't matter.  When pressed, they admit the attraction of Trump is he gives them permission to hate.   That seems to be what their lives have devolved to in 2017.   The fact his declared policies would actually make their lives worse means little or nothing to them compared to the opportunity to yell at black NFL players who kneel to protest racial injustice.  Roy Moore is tapping into a similar well of tribalism.  It is a dark road we are travelling and unless the citizens of Alabama choose to shine a light on Dec. 12, it will get darker still.  The title of this post refers to the William Goldman novel about the travails of a group of prep school boys marooned on an island with no adult supervision and the horrific society they develop on their own.  When I first read the book, I could barely believe the story was possible.  Now, not so much.  Piggies of the world, Unite!
 

Post-Post Mortems

The body has not even cooled, but the autopsies of the election results around the country are continuing as pundits on both sides try with the benefit of hindsight to claim they knew all along that appeals to racism and white nationalism would backfire on republicans.  This after even democratic leaning analysts had excoriated Ralph Northam for running what they termed a  lackluster campaign.  What they meant was he stuck to issues and mostly refused to respond to the hateful ads run by Ed Gillespie.  Now, in retrospect, Northam is being celebrated for his forbearance and his approach will be lauded as the template for all future democratic campaigns.  NOT... each state and local election will demand a different approach, depending on the region and voter preferences.  A real litmus test of democratic revival in the Trump era will be the special election in Alabama to determine the ultimate successor to the execrable Jefferson Beauregard Sessions.  If  the dems in deep red Alabama can beat the lunatic Roy Moore, it will be a turning point in the battle against Trumpism.   Even a tight race would encourage other candidates to challenge supposedly safe republican districts.  As they say, you have to crawl before you can walk.

Back in the Saddle

It was a wonderful couple of weeks, but now it's over.  The Divine Mrs. M and her faithful baggage handler are back from a European vacation even Chevy Chase would be proud of.  Having not taken more than two weeks in a row for vacation since the early 80's, it was with trepidation I embarked, but as I should have known, the world of vegetable distribution managed to continue in my absence.  It was gratifying that at least a few people claimed they missed me.  Meanwhile, it was bracing to realize the rest of the world, or at least the small slice of it we encountered in Paris and London seems to be getting along fine with the idea that America, with a little help from Russia elected an incompetent simpleton as President.  The English are consumed by sexual abuse scandals among politicians of all political stripes as well as trying to parse the details of Brexit.  The French are mostly obsessed about where they will be spending their next vacation and what effect their new president will have on their jobs.  It was refreshing to say the least.  I'll relate more about our trip as it is reflected through the lens of politics and policy, or as it chronicles the journey of two innocents in strange lands.  Meanwhile, it looks as if many people in Virginia and New Jersey are sending a message they are tired of the politics of division and its chief practitioner.  The  republican in the Virginia governor's race distanced himself from The Donald, but not his policies and he went down to a stunning defeat.  Let's hope it is the first of many, culminating in a democratic capture of the House in the 2018 elections.