The US is living in a bubble of denialism regarding our status in the world, the coronavirus pandemic and climate change among other things. While the pandemic threatens our economy and climate change our way of life, denialism itself is what may prove our ultimate undoing.
Take the many commentators who wonder why the nation with "the greatest health care system on earth" cannot seem to get its arms around the pandemic. That's easy; we don't have the greatest health system. By any metric you care to measure we do worse than most if not all first world nations. This is not because we don't have dedicated health care professionals. I would match them against anyone in the world. No, it's because we don't have enough doctors and nurses and we don't serve a significant slice of the population. Without access to good care, deaths from easily preventable diseases go way up.
As Paul Krugman has said many times, today's republican party is responsible for much of the denialism in this country mainly because it serves the purposes of the party's paymasters. The pseudo science and outright lies being peddled by the right wing intelligentsia lull a large part of the population into a false sense of security. We need someone with the moral authority to call out the BS. As the crisis unfolds, we are seeing people as varied as Andrew Cuomo and Jay Inslee and Gretchen Whitmer step up to lead. This phenomenon gives me some hope in this dark time.
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Monday, March 30, 2020
Updates
According to ratings, the tRump live, coronavirus press briefings are attracting about 8.5 million pairs of eyeballs each day. That's on a par with the finale of the latest "Bachelor" reality TV show. Even though the major networks are not carrying the president's* fairytale hour live, enough Cable networks are to keep the ratings up. tRump knows he has to keep amping up the crazy to keep the rubes tuned in, so he picks fights with governors, brags about his wonderful decisions and keeps the experts on just long enough to keep Faux News from questioning his motives. The rest of the world must think we have lost our collective mind. Oh, wait...
Many states are hurtling toward worst case scenarios when it comes to the pandemic. if large states like Florida and Texas continue to resist major shutdowns of their economies, they could wind up with over half a million deaths in just those two states. The wild card in all these estimates is whether the warmer weather in the south will cause the coronavirus to become seasonally less active. If this happens, southern governors who ignored prudent advice will become even more vulnerable this fall when the virus again becomes more potent. Without a vaccine, the only thing slowing the spread of the virus is social distancing.
One ray of hope, assuming elections will actually be held this fall, is even the proverbial ham sandwich would beat tRump by up to nine points. Even more galling, if Joe Biden puts Elizabeth Warren on the ticket he still beats Cheetolini by nine! Democrats need to move the country to a full mail in ballot election while there is still time to ramp up the infrastructure. A true election by mail will ensure there can be no electronic tampering by bad actors.
Many states are hurtling toward worst case scenarios when it comes to the pandemic. if large states like Florida and Texas continue to resist major shutdowns of their economies, they could wind up with over half a million deaths in just those two states. The wild card in all these estimates is whether the warmer weather in the south will cause the coronavirus to become seasonally less active. If this happens, southern governors who ignored prudent advice will become even more vulnerable this fall when the virus again becomes more potent. Without a vaccine, the only thing slowing the spread of the virus is social distancing.
One ray of hope, assuming elections will actually be held this fall, is even the proverbial ham sandwich would beat tRump by up to nine points. Even more galling, if Joe Biden puts Elizabeth Warren on the ticket he still beats Cheetolini by nine! Democrats need to move the country to a full mail in ballot election while there is still time to ramp up the infrastructure. A true election by mail will ensure there can be no electronic tampering by bad actors.
Friday, March 27, 2020
The new normal
As we come to the end of our second week of coronavirus quarantine, the Divine Mrs. M and I have slid into a routine very similar to what we experienced before Covid 19 became a household word. Despite the handicaps imposed by my recent shoulder surgery, I have continued my work as a produce broker which keeps me from fretting too much about my inability to do very much gardening in the short term.
The aforementioned Mrs. M has had a rockier ride so far. Her mother passed away on the 13th and with the advent of "social distancing" she was unable to give or receive the tactile embraces which are part of the grieving process. In a daring move, she accompanied the local funeral director as they delivered her mother's remains to the burial site on Long Island, making the round trip journey in just 12 and a half hours! It seems even grief and mourning are being put on hold by the virus.
Despite face time and all the modern computer wizardry we miss interacting with our children and grandchildren. But none of them wants to be the one who puts Nana or Pop in the hospital, so we will have to deal with the situation for now.
One thing we continue to do is obsess about the vacuum of leadership that emanates from the White House. We cannot watch the daily gusher of lies Cheetolini continues to foist on a seemingly gullible American public, although as the body count rises and hospitals burst at the seams a reckoning may be on the way.
The aforementioned Mrs. M has had a rockier ride so far. Her mother passed away on the 13th and with the advent of "social distancing" she was unable to give or receive the tactile embraces which are part of the grieving process. In a daring move, she accompanied the local funeral director as they delivered her mother's remains to the burial site on Long Island, making the round trip journey in just 12 and a half hours! It seems even grief and mourning are being put on hold by the virus.
Despite face time and all the modern computer wizardry we miss interacting with our children and grandchildren. But none of them wants to be the one who puts Nana or Pop in the hospital, so we will have to deal with the situation for now.
One thing we continue to do is obsess about the vacuum of leadership that emanates from the White House. We cannot watch the daily gusher of lies Cheetolini continues to foist on a seemingly gullible American public, although as the body count rises and hospitals burst at the seams a reckoning may be on the way.
Thursday, March 26, 2020
The best and worst of times
The opening of Dicken's "Tale of Two Cities" is probably more relevant than ever in this time of pandemic. Two pieces in today's NYT illustrate the best and worst that humans are capable.
In the first piece, an op-ed, Amanda Cohen, the chef/owner of a restaurant called "Dirt Candy" speculates on the future of the restaurant business in the city. She employs 20-30 cooks,waiters and dishwashers and had to let them all go or face immediate bankruptcy. Operating on a margin of around 2%, she doesn't have the deep pockets necessary to ride out an extended shut down. She wants to give her employees health insurance, sick leave and all the other benefits most of her customers take for granted. Ms. Cohen wonders if people would be willing to pay $8.00 for a latte if that means the barista would have health care or if customers would be willing to pay $100.00 for a couple of hamburgers and a few beers if that means their server would have sick leave. Of course, living where I do, the prices she casually threw out were fairly shocking to me. However, I understand and applaud the sentiment she expressed more eloquently than I have don.
The second piece, a news story is about the worst we humans are capable of. In a Wegmans store in NJ, a middle aged man was asked by a worker to maintain the recommended 6 feet of distance. Instead, he leaned into her, coughed and said he had the coronavirus. He also told several employees they were lucky to have jobs. He was arrested and charged with making a terroristic threat and assault. The ugly American indeed. Whether or not he had the virus, this was the equivalent of yelling "Fire" in a crowded theater. He should get the maximum penalties allowed by law. Being a douchebag is not a protected right in this country.
In the first piece, an op-ed, Amanda Cohen, the chef/owner of a restaurant called "Dirt Candy" speculates on the future of the restaurant business in the city. She employs 20-30 cooks,waiters and dishwashers and had to let them all go or face immediate bankruptcy. Operating on a margin of around 2%, she doesn't have the deep pockets necessary to ride out an extended shut down. She wants to give her employees health insurance, sick leave and all the other benefits most of her customers take for granted. Ms. Cohen wonders if people would be willing to pay $8.00 for a latte if that means the barista would have health care or if customers would be willing to pay $100.00 for a couple of hamburgers and a few beers if that means their server would have sick leave. Of course, living where I do, the prices she casually threw out were fairly shocking to me. However, I understand and applaud the sentiment she expressed more eloquently than I have don.
The second piece, a news story is about the worst we humans are capable of. In a Wegmans store in NJ, a middle aged man was asked by a worker to maintain the recommended 6 feet of distance. Instead, he leaned into her, coughed and said he had the coronavirus. He also told several employees they were lucky to have jobs. He was arrested and charged with making a terroristic threat and assault. The ugly American indeed. Whether or not he had the virus, this was the equivalent of yelling "Fire" in a crowded theater. He should get the maximum penalties allowed by law. Being a douchebag is not a protected right in this country.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Beyond belief
The latest news coming out of Washington is by turns uplifting and infuriating. It looks like Congress mostly under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer is about to approve a massive relief bill for ordinary Americans during this time of crisis. After making an attempt to hijack the legislation to help corporations, it looks like republicans will go along with democrats and allow for the aid to be spread more equitably.
Meanwhile, many housebound citizens are treated to a daily dose of potent ignorance by our commander in chief. Now, against the advice of his medical experts he is planning for "packed churches from coast to coast" for Easter. According to best evidence, this would result in a healthcare holocaust and probably a million or more unnecessary deaths from covid 19. Fortunately, tRump doesn't have the authority to cancel the shelter in place orders of many of the nation's governors. Unfortunately, his bully pulpit is likely to convince many of his supporters he knows more than the experts and so they will literally pack churches in states without social distancing orders in place. The dangerous lunatic in the White House is liable to cause more deaths in the coming months than the nation suffered in WW2 and his poll numbers are going up. It seems his credulous fans are willing to believe virtually any nonsense he spews if it owns the libs, or in this case the experts who are calling for caution in the face of a pandemic.
I know many thoughtful, generous people, but after seeing the president* act like the addled senior he so evidently is, I am becoming convinced a plurality of the American public is either willfully blind or incredibly stupid. I don't know which is worse.
Meanwhile, many housebound citizens are treated to a daily dose of potent ignorance by our commander in chief. Now, against the advice of his medical experts he is planning for "packed churches from coast to coast" for Easter. According to best evidence, this would result in a healthcare holocaust and probably a million or more unnecessary deaths from covid 19. Fortunately, tRump doesn't have the authority to cancel the shelter in place orders of many of the nation's governors. Unfortunately, his bully pulpit is likely to convince many of his supporters he knows more than the experts and so they will literally pack churches in states without social distancing orders in place. The dangerous lunatic in the White House is liable to cause more deaths in the coming months than the nation suffered in WW2 and his poll numbers are going up. It seems his credulous fans are willing to believe virtually any nonsense he spews if it owns the libs, or in this case the experts who are calling for caution in the face of a pandemic.
I know many thoughtful, generous people, but after seeing the president* act like the addled senior he so evidently is, I am becoming convinced a plurality of the American public is either willfully blind or incredibly stupid. I don't know which is worse.
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
The stupidity of low expectations
I watched a few minutes of the president's* latest attempt to calm the nation, but my gag reflex cut in and I had to turn off the TV. It seems 7 days of self quarantine has already tried tRump's patience to the breaking point. I gather he went on to say "The cure cannot be worse than the problem." This was the line put up by a Faux News commentator who seemed stoically ready to sacrifice up to a million elderly Americans on the altar of economic necessity.
Compare today's republican party's answer to the dislocations caused by the coronavirus with that of the UK's conservative tories. The GOP wants to shovel cash into the maws of the country's largest corporations with virtually no strings attached. The Tories passed a bill guaranteeing up to 80% of displaced workers' salaries for the duration of the crisis. The republican party in the US has become nearly as reactionary as is possible in a putative democracy. This fact has to be baked into any democratic response to McConnell's merry band of nihilists.
Monday, March 23, 2020
What's goin on
Marvin Gaye's plaintive cry from the 60s is still relevant today as we watch an incompetent president* and his party's Senate majority steer relief from the economic ravages of the coronavirus to their usual suspects, leaving a majority of Americans in dire financial straits.
Mitch McConnell has specialized in non governance ever since he led the GOP to become the party of "no" at the outset of the Obama administration. In the midst of an economic crisis, he put the brakes on any legislation the Democrats tried to pass, making them use their overwhelming majorities in the House and Senate to pass bills addressing the crisis and denying them the bipartisan label Obama had promised.
Now it is time for republicans to stand up and lead the charge to relieve the 10s of millions of citizens caught in an economic maelstrom brought about by the coronavirus. Instead, they want to authorize a 500 billion dollar slush fund tRump can use to reward his friends and punish his enemies while delivering a $1200 one time payment to most Americans. Of course when you specialize in opposition to governance, the actual exercise of the power to make our lives better may well be beyond the GOP's capabilities. Meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi and house democrats will have their say in negotiations with the Senate.
Mitch McConnell has specialized in non governance ever since he led the GOP to become the party of "no" at the outset of the Obama administration. In the midst of an economic crisis, he put the brakes on any legislation the Democrats tried to pass, making them use their overwhelming majorities in the House and Senate to pass bills addressing the crisis and denying them the bipartisan label Obama had promised.
Now it is time for republicans to stand up and lead the charge to relieve the 10s of millions of citizens caught in an economic maelstrom brought about by the coronavirus. Instead, they want to authorize a 500 billion dollar slush fund tRump can use to reward his friends and punish his enemies while delivering a $1200 one time payment to most Americans. Of course when you specialize in opposition to governance, the actual exercise of the power to make our lives better may well be beyond the GOP's capabilities. Meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi and house democrats will have their say in negotiations with the Senate.
Friday, March 20, 2020
10 days later
It has been a horrendous 10 days since I last posted. 3 days after my shoulder surgery my mother in law passed away. She was a grand old lady who didn't deserve the last few years of suffering she endured due to complications from dementia. Making funeral and burial arrangements in the midst of a pandemic are not for the squeamish, however, the Divine Mrs. M rose to the challenge. Her valiant efforts included riding shotgun on the van delivering her mother's remains to long Island for interment. Practicing social distancing during a funeral service for your mother or grandmother is inconceivably hard.
Meanwhile, Cheetolini and his minions continue to make decisions which will undoubtedly cost lives and undermine our society. After downplaying the coronavirus as a "democratic hoax" he made an abrupt about face, but even now you can see he is only doing the daily briefings because he is an attention whore who believes he is the best spokesman for his chaotic administration. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the most prominent expert in the administration has been sidelined probably due to his inconvenient contradictions of tRump's happy talk concerning the virus.
The stock market, which is the president's* main claim as evidence of his competency just gave back all of the gains since his inauguration. Everyone has a year's supply of toilet paper in their basement or garage and is now on the lookout for the next item to hoard. Unemployment could reach 20% or more in coming weeks as businesses shut down. Congress will probably go into gridlock as Dems fight for ordinary people which Repubs look for ways to line rich donors' pockets. Scandals are brewing amid charges senators on the intel committee sold stocks after briefings about the severity of the coming crisis. This happened in early February. Instead of shouting from the rooftops about the coming conflagration,, Richard Burr, Diane Feinstein and others profited and then kept quiet. Profiles in courage indeed.
We continue to hunker down in our homes hoping the virus will miss us. Does anyone have a little lamb's blood on hand?
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
One day later
Due to a snafu (don't ask), my shoulder surgery was rescheduled for today. So here I am, forced to comment on the twin terrors of the coronavirus threat and the economic meltdown which the disease is causing.
The Dow Jones average closed down over 2000 points yesterday, erasing Cheetolini's major claim to re-election. Despite his chaotic leadership style, the stock market has continued to rise at about the same rate as it has through much of its 11 year rally. Lately, some investors have said stocks were over valued and due for a correction, but tRump has hectored everyone from the Federal Reserve to multiple government agencies to promote policies which continue the sugar high. Thanks to Covid 19, the inevitable correction will probably show the way to a recession in the middle of the presidential campaign. Some have already suggested if support for the president* and republicans in Congress craters, there will be calls for the election to be delayed!
Meanwhile, the human toll of the coronavirus and the government's completely inadequate response is the real story. Governors are stepping up in the vacuum of tRump's inability to lead and are now the frontlines of the fight. As more testing is done, the full scope of the epidemic is likely to bring calls for a nationwide shutdown such as the one instituted by Italy. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
The Dow Jones average closed down over 2000 points yesterday, erasing Cheetolini's major claim to re-election. Despite his chaotic leadership style, the stock market has continued to rise at about the same rate as it has through much of its 11 year rally. Lately, some investors have said stocks were over valued and due for a correction, but tRump has hectored everyone from the Federal Reserve to multiple government agencies to promote policies which continue the sugar high. Thanks to Covid 19, the inevitable correction will probably show the way to a recession in the middle of the presidential campaign. Some have already suggested if support for the president* and republicans in Congress craters, there will be calls for the election to be delayed!
Meanwhile, the human toll of the coronavirus and the government's completely inadequate response is the real story. Governors are stepping up in the vacuum of tRump's inability to lead and are now the frontlines of the fight. As more testing is done, the full scope of the epidemic is likely to bring calls for a nationwide shutdown such as the one instituted by Italy. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
Monday, March 9, 2020
Things are getting real
For any American invested in the stock market either directly or through a retirement plan, today will probably not be a good day to check the market. As I write this, European markets are down more than 6% and the futures markets here are set to open 5% below Friday's close. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic financial markets around the world have lost 9 trillion dollars of value.
Meanwhile, oil prices have plunged 30% as the Saudis and the Russians battle for a diminished share of lagging demand. As all this happens, our dear leader is in Palm Beach playing golf. The mind boggles. As one pundit put it, he wouldn't be surprised if many in corporate America suddenly decide we are in a constitutional crisis! Kids in cages and semi-treasonous actions in Ukraine didn't move them, but losing the one thing for which they were willing to put up with our cretinous president, the stock market rally, will probably revive calls for tRump's ouster.
On a personal note, I will be undergoing shoulder surgery later today and will be unable to ply a keyboard for a week to 10 days, so for the precious few who follow my maunderings, I promise I will be back!
Meanwhile, oil prices have plunged 30% as the Saudis and the Russians battle for a diminished share of lagging demand. As all this happens, our dear leader is in Palm Beach playing golf. The mind boggles. As one pundit put it, he wouldn't be surprised if many in corporate America suddenly decide we are in a constitutional crisis! Kids in cages and semi-treasonous actions in Ukraine didn't move them, but losing the one thing for which they were willing to put up with our cretinous president, the stock market rally, will probably revive calls for tRump's ouster.
On a personal note, I will be undergoing shoulder surgery later today and will be unable to ply a keyboard for a week to 10 days, so for the precious few who follow my maunderings, I promise I will be back!
Friday, March 6, 2020
She coulda been a contender
Elizabeth Warren gave a valedictory on Rachel Maddow's show last night and it was a joy and yet painful to watch. That an omnicompetent woman was willing and able to serve her country in its highest office gives me hope we will see a female president in my lifetime. That Warren will be denied the opportunity mostly because she presented a no nonsense, well qualified resume' which put her male counterparts is a testament to the patriarchy which America continues to validate.
From a young nephew comes perhaps the least offensive critique. He claims she was a shrill, unlikable woman who waved her finger in your face. I'm sure millions of other men felt the same response to the person with a plan for everything. What is even more heartbreaking is the millions of non college educated women who will seemingly settle for a doddering pol from the old school because they somehow feel Warren didn't connect with them. I have news for you, ladies, I want the smartest person in the room as my leader.
Her voice broke a little as she remembered all the little girls she told that running for president is "what girls do". Now those girls will have to wait another 4 years for the possibility.
Maybe, as one pundit opined, we need someone who projects a little less perfection. We have elected many men over the years who were a hot mess in one way or another. Perhaps if she had been a little less prepared the American public could have empathized with the Senator Professor a bit more. I think it is more complicated than that, but I feel we passed on a chance to right the sinking ship which is the American experiment. I hope we survive the next 4 years.
From a young nephew comes perhaps the least offensive critique. He claims she was a shrill, unlikable woman who waved her finger in your face. I'm sure millions of other men felt the same response to the person with a plan for everything. What is even more heartbreaking is the millions of non college educated women who will seemingly settle for a doddering pol from the old school because they somehow feel Warren didn't connect with them. I have news for you, ladies, I want the smartest person in the room as my leader.
Her voice broke a little as she remembered all the little girls she told that running for president is "what girls do". Now those girls will have to wait another 4 years for the possibility.
Maybe, as one pundit opined, we need someone who projects a little less perfection. We have elected many men over the years who were a hot mess in one way or another. Perhaps if she had been a little less prepared the American public could have empathized with the Senator Professor a bit more. I think it is more complicated than that, but I feel we passed on a chance to right the sinking ship which is the American experiment. I hope we survive the next 4 years.
Thursday, March 5, 2020
More in Sorrow than anger
The blog's title is my takeaway from last night's interview on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show". Rachel gave Bernie Sanders every opportunity to put a good spin on what was a devastating Super Tuesday. Bernie lost Minnesota, Virginia and even liberal Massachusetts to a warmed over ancient pol whose only claim to fame was the good fortune of being picked as Obama's running mate.
Naturally, Sanders wanted to push the conspiracy narrative. Besides being opposed by corporations in general and specifically Big Pharma and the Fossil Fuel industry, Bernie is now opposed by the "Democratic Establishment". Fine, says Rachel, but what about the huge turnouts of young people you promised would power your campaign?
Maddow then went on to present the data, which showed less young voter turnout in virtually every primary state. The biggest increase was suburbanites and they overwhelmingly supported Biden. Sanders reply was we'll do better in the general election. Sorry Bernie, that's not going to cut it. At one point, Rachel virtually pleaded with Sanders to somehow validate his theories of increased turnout or at least tell her how he was going to turn things around in upcoming primary states. Again, "We're going to do better" was the reply.
As I have stated many times before, Elizabeth Warren is my first choice in this election, but if she is not on the ballot when New York votes, I will vote for Bernie. I just hope this interview was a wake up call for the cranky senator from Vermont. It seems his schtick works well in Vermont, but unless he can motivate the huge pool of millennials and Gen Z to come out and support his vision of America's future, the slogan for 2020 won't be "Feel the Bern", but , "Any Blue will Do".
I know I'm going to take some heat from Sanders fans who read this blog (I'm looking at you, Neil), but Bernie needs to drop the conspiracy theories and get out the huge pool of potential supporters who want Medicare for All, etc., but are thus far not motivated enough to vote for the avatar of these policies. Let's hope he got the message.
Naturally, Sanders wanted to push the conspiracy narrative. Besides being opposed by corporations in general and specifically Big Pharma and the Fossil Fuel industry, Bernie is now opposed by the "Democratic Establishment". Fine, says Rachel, but what about the huge turnouts of young people you promised would power your campaign?
Maddow then went on to present the data, which showed less young voter turnout in virtually every primary state. The biggest increase was suburbanites and they overwhelmingly supported Biden. Sanders reply was we'll do better in the general election. Sorry Bernie, that's not going to cut it. At one point, Rachel virtually pleaded with Sanders to somehow validate his theories of increased turnout or at least tell her how he was going to turn things around in upcoming primary states. Again, "We're going to do better" was the reply.
As I have stated many times before, Elizabeth Warren is my first choice in this election, but if she is not on the ballot when New York votes, I will vote for Bernie. I just hope this interview was a wake up call for the cranky senator from Vermont. It seems his schtick works well in Vermont, but unless he can motivate the huge pool of millennials and Gen Z to come out and support his vision of America's future, the slogan for 2020 won't be "Feel the Bern", but , "Any Blue will Do".
I know I'm going to take some heat from Sanders fans who read this blog (I'm looking at you, Neil), but Bernie needs to drop the conspiracy theories and get out the huge pool of potential supporters who want Medicare for All, etc., but are thus far not motivated enough to vote for the avatar of these policies. Let's hope he got the message.
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Same as it always was
After last night's carnage, it looks like we'll be treated to a two man cage match between 2 white septuagenarians for the right to challenge Cheetolini this fall. Some rumors have Bloomberg suspending his campaign in light of his abysmal showing in most Super Tuesday states and the hands down best candidate in the field, Elizabeth Warren will probably have to drop out also. She was unable to win her home state of Massachusetts.
Bernie and his revolution mostly flamed out last night. He was unable to produce the surge of new voters which if these supposedly hungry young people had actually showed up would have powered him to victory in places like Texas. I guess being lectured by a grumpy old white man wasn't enough to motivate them. Instead, we are faced with the increasingly likely possibility that we will have to hold our noses and vote for a doddering old pol whose main and probably only qualification for the office he seeks is 8 years as Obama's sidekick. I doubt the 44th president is particularly happy with this outcome. Thanks Obama!
Bernie and his revolution mostly flamed out last night. He was unable to produce the surge of new voters which if these supposedly hungry young people had actually showed up would have powered him to victory in places like Texas. I guess being lectured by a grumpy old white man wasn't enough to motivate them. Instead, we are faced with the increasingly likely possibility that we will have to hold our noses and vote for a doddering old pol whose main and probably only qualification for the office he seeks is 8 years as Obama's sidekick. I doubt the 44th president is particularly happy with this outcome. Thanks Obama!
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
24 hours later
So, in an abrupt move which must have shaken their supporters, both Mayor Pete and Amy Klobuchar have suspended their presidential campaigns and thrown their support to Joe Biden. Biden also garnered the endorsement of another killer B, Beto O'Rourke. All three newly minted supporters appeared at a rally in Dallas in anticipation of Super Tuesday.
As I opined yesterday, Biden is a creaky old democratic pol who has been chasing the dream of being president for 30 years. If not for the reflected glory of Barack Obama, he would have faded into retirement years ago. However, the potent association with the 44th president inspired black South Carolinians to overlook many of the racist policies Biden has backed over the years and give him a resounding victory in their primary. This caused the party establishment to evidently persuade Buttegieg and Klobuchar to abandon their campaigns and unite against the specter of a Bernie Sanders candidacy.
Just like that, we are down to 4 candidates and after today's voter input who knows? As H L Mencken is credited with saying, "You'll never go broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public". I think we are about to test that assertion.
As I opined yesterday, Biden is a creaky old democratic pol who has been chasing the dream of being president for 30 years. If not for the reflected glory of Barack Obama, he would have faded into retirement years ago. However, the potent association with the 44th president inspired black South Carolinians to overlook many of the racist policies Biden has backed over the years and give him a resounding victory in their primary. This caused the party establishment to evidently persuade Buttegieg and Klobuchar to abandon their campaigns and unite against the specter of a Bernie Sanders candidacy.
Just like that, we are down to 4 candidates and after today's voter input who knows? As H L Mencken is credited with saying, "You'll never go broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public". I think we are about to test that assertion.
Monday, March 2, 2020
This is it?
I was going to write about the dawning of meteorological spring here in the North Country where it still looks a lot like spring and how I planted the first seeds of the new season. But then I reflected on the evolving political situation and felt I needed to use the space for commentary on that situation.
Mayor Pete and Tom Steyer have dropped out of the presidential race and somehow we have gotten down to a couple of capable women who are hanging on by their fingernails and 3 old white dudes. Despite the fact we have barely started to count actual votes in the nomination process, the media has decided we need to focus on 3 men who will shortly celebrate 8 decades of life on this earth.
Bernie has pretty much proven that as far as base popularity, he is the tRump of the left with a fanatical base of about 30% of the electorate. So far he has not been able to muster the huge numbers of young voters he claims are out there and willing to vote for "revolution". In fact the voters who showed up in the South Carolina primary were overwhelmingly older voters who clearly preferred Joe Biden.
Biden to me is a scary proposition. Never the sharpest tool in the shed, he seems to be getting more delusional as this race goes on. Unfortunately, in the age of tRump, delusional thinking and pathological lying are no longer disqualifying traits in a president, so the media can continue to pump Biden unless/until he does something really horrifying.
The last of the killer Bees, Mike Bloomberg will continue his personal jihad against the unwashed masses for as long as his well paid campaign staffers continue to fluff his massive ego. This includes declaring an independent run for the presidency if Sanders is nominated by the Dems. Imagine Ross Perot on Steroids.
Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar are both vastly preferable to the old white dudes, but the media has decided a woman can't win against Cheetolini and they are being showered with 'if only they were white men" type stories. I think against a normal republican in a normal year they would be running far more strongly.
So, this is where we are.
Mayor Pete and Tom Steyer have dropped out of the presidential race and somehow we have gotten down to a couple of capable women who are hanging on by their fingernails and 3 old white dudes. Despite the fact we have barely started to count actual votes in the nomination process, the media has decided we need to focus on 3 men who will shortly celebrate 8 decades of life on this earth.
Bernie has pretty much proven that as far as base popularity, he is the tRump of the left with a fanatical base of about 30% of the electorate. So far he has not been able to muster the huge numbers of young voters he claims are out there and willing to vote for "revolution". In fact the voters who showed up in the South Carolina primary were overwhelmingly older voters who clearly preferred Joe Biden.
Biden to me is a scary proposition. Never the sharpest tool in the shed, he seems to be getting more delusional as this race goes on. Unfortunately, in the age of tRump, delusional thinking and pathological lying are no longer disqualifying traits in a president, so the media can continue to pump Biden unless/until he does something really horrifying.
The last of the killer Bees, Mike Bloomberg will continue his personal jihad against the unwashed masses for as long as his well paid campaign staffers continue to fluff his massive ego. This includes declaring an independent run for the presidency if Sanders is nominated by the Dems. Imagine Ross Perot on Steroids.
Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar are both vastly preferable to the old white dudes, but the media has decided a woman can't win against Cheetolini and they are being showered with 'if only they were white men" type stories. I think against a normal republican in a normal year they would be running far more strongly.
So, this is where we are.
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