Turning a corner

       The powerful testimony at the George Floyd murder trial seems to be changing American minds about racist policing.   A secretly taped recording of a Republican strategist complaining that the Democrats' HR1 voting rights bill is  very popular with conservatives shows we may not be as far apart as pundits would have us believe.   Finally, the coronavirus vaccines continue to perform well in the face of virus variants and may herald a new weapon in the war against disease around the world.

      While none of the above news is related on the surface, a deeper reading seems to me to indicate we may not be as fractured a society as many would have us believe.   Time will tell...

The possibilities of populism

      Over at the NYT,  Nobel prize winning economist, Paul Krugman takes on the demise of the Republican party as it is tugged in two directions.   On the one hand, the avowed disciples of Trumpism mouth the platitudes of populism which helped vault its avatar to the presidency.  These include governmental policies primarily benefitting the working class.   On the other hand, the billionaires who fund most of the party apparatus press for the continuation of the transfer of wealth from the middle to the .01%.

     The GOP can no longer put the culture war issues in the closet after the elections.  The economic right wing is now in charge along with the politics of hate.  What will the party do next, especially if it continues to lose national elections to the Democrats?   That is the question Krugman leaves for us to ponder.

Nearly normal...or not

     It had been more than a year since I last saw my mother and my three siblings.  That lack of contact was rectified over the weekend as we gathered on Long Island to celebrate the family matriarch's 91st birthday.   Most of us have received both vaccinations, either Pfizer or Moderna, but there were some with only one of the series in their arms and some younger members who have yet to receive a jab.

     My mother is firmly of the opinion that when your time has come, there is no injection which can stop Nature's course, so she was firmly on board with a limited get together.   My opinion was perhaps a little more nuanced, but in the end I was happy for the hugs we exchanged on arrival and departure.  No matter what happens in the immediate future, Covid has taught us to appreciate the simple joys of family get togethers, albeit perhaps not as normally as we would like.

Can we contrast

      Joe Biden's first press conference was a master class in the contrasts between his presidency and that of the "former guy".   Having portrayed Biden as a drooling, senile idiot, his well briefed and intelligent exposition of details on many policies eviscerated the criticism.  In fact, he overperformed the reporters doing the questioning.   Instead of demanding hard answers on such problems as vaccine hesitancy, he faced questions such as " Are you planning to run in 2024".   Oy vey!

Everybody wants a piece of the action

        As always with the transition from Republican to Democratic administrations, the pent up demand for equality, visibility and equity is exploding across the nation.   From the Biden administration's halting steps to redress the broken immigration system to the call for less discrimination against those of Asian descent, everybody is clamoring for attention at the same time.

      As an older white male, I have rarely been discriminated against or made to feel like a stranger in my own country and I get the many voices calling for equality.  But, before the tumbrils start to roll, perhaps we can all stand back and give the system a chance.   Biden is putting a first class team together in the DOJ, the NLRB and other venues which will make headway against the horrors put in place by the previous administration.   We need to give the newbies a chance.  Yes, the situation at the border is intolerable, but 60 days in to the effort, let's not declare failure and move on.  The same goes for racist discrimination against minorities.  It must be called out, but we must also allow the government to put policies in place to address the long term effects and their present manifestations.

      We all want a piece of the action, but it won't happen all at once.  Give the old white guys a chance to at least try to make it right.

Thoughts, etc.

      It goes without saying any thinking, feeling individual in the US is horrified by the latest mass shooting.  Left or right, Democrat or Republican, we are equally heartbroken by the descriptions of the mayhem that ensued when a gunman walked into a grocery store and opened fire, seemingly at random.

    What happens next will be as nauseating as it is predictable.   Liberals will shout out for sensible gun safety measures like universal background checks, while conservatives will retreat behind a 2nd amendment argument that has been twisted like a pretzel to fit each and every spasm of gun violence we face. 

    The fact that 80-90% of Americans approve background checks seems not to matter to gun industry apologists.   In fact, it is not obvious said checks would have prevented the latest shooter from obtaining a semi automatic weapon of mass destruction.   

     Once again, the filibuster in the Senate and our hyper partisan politics have prevented the ultimate goal of preventing such weapons, whose sole purpose is to kill large numbers of people, from being purchased in the first place.   There is no good reason for it and it has to stop.

Have Patience

     The title of this post refers to a song my girls learned back in the 90's.  I think the character who sings the song was a turtle who counsels everyone "don't be in such a hurry".  It's a perfect theme song for our Covid 19 troubled times.  Although the vaccine rollout is proceeding at an accelerated pace, there are over 330 million people in the US.  That is a lot of arms to jab, in some cases twice.  As the hundreds of thousands of spring breakers who descended on the beaches in the South demonstrated, many of us are in too much of a hurry to get back to "normal".

     Two of my grandchildren went to their first day of in person learning this school year yesterday.  By the end of the day, the school district halted all face to face classes in favor of remote access.  The reason; another outbreak of Covid among the in school population.  That means learning with grandma and nana, probably for the rest of the school year.  It's a shame, but ignoring social distancing and going maskless probably played a large part in this latest local outbreak.   We  need to keep up all precautions until we have beaten the pandemic.

The border

     As a some time consumer of the blather masquerading as intelligent discourse on Morning Joe, I was disgusted by their coverage of the situation at the southern border of the US.   The Biden administration inherited a broken and inhumane system from the the failed former government and has set out to reform it.   Allowing unaccompanied minors into the country while trying to find sponsors for them should not be controversial.

     The media is all over this story as if it proves that 60 days into its tenure, this administration has predictably failed to keep the border secure.   Pictures of children jammed into tents and makeshift structures is supposed to make us feel bad.  I guess turning them back into the Mexican desert is the humane alternative!  

    Instead of at least giving the new guys the benefit of the doubt, the purveyors of "both siderism" have seized on the border situation as something that Democrats are as incapable of solving as Republicans.  The shallowness of political discourse in this country never ceases to amaze me.

Last gasps?

       As 6 Asian Americans are gunned down by a white man having a "very bad day", the House of Representatives passed a renewal of the Violence Against Women's Act despite the no votes of 172 Republicans.   It seems they were upset that boyfriend's 2nd amendment right to buy guns and kill  women was being abridged.  Is this the beginning of the end of white supremacy and the patriarchy or just another skirmish in an ongoing battle?

     While segregation and the struggle for civil rights have traditionally thrown a spotlight on the black vs. white divide, other racial minorities and women have experienced discrimination by white men since the discovery of America.   The Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in 1882 to prohibit ethnic Chinese from immigrating to the US.   The shame of the Japanese internment camps in WW2 will forever be a stain on our democracy.  The second class status of women in general and low income women of color particularly is another problem.

     Acknowledging the worth of every human being, regardless of color, ethnicity or gender should be what we do from cradle to grave.  Instead, we discriminate against virtually everyone who doesn't look like a white caucasian  male.  We need to do better. 

The Good and the Bad

      I saw an article today where the Fed chief, Jerome Powell, an appointee of the tRump administration opined that 2% inflation was palatable in the short term and the Federal Reserve did not intend to raise interest rates within the next year unless full employment was reached and inflation continued to tick upwards.   This is welcome news on the employment front.  The Fed has traditionally confiscated the proverbial punch bowl before the party even started, allowing up to 4-5% of the workforce to languish in joblessness all in the name of fiscal probity.   Recent experience has shown that even with unemployment below 3% there was very little inflation pressure on the economy.  Good for you Mr. Powell!

     On the bad side, Timothy Geithner, the former Treasury Secretary under the Obama administration who is now the head of a predatory equity firm, Warburg Pincus, is using a leveraged buyout to merge two of the largest security firms in the world into a behemoth, employing over 800,000 workers.   By forcing a publicly traded company to take on 4.6 billion in new debt to finance the deal, cutting costs will be on the agenda of the new firm.  This will probably lead to massive layoffs within a year or two.  Geithner's firm will probably gut the firm of its assets and walk away with billions while the corpse of the two companies he plundered will languish until it is bailed out with public money. Bad, Mr. Geithner!   

     That is today's tale of two administrations.

Together, apart

       The killing of up to 8 Asian-Americans in the Atlanta metro area, allegedly by a white supremacist exposed once more the ugly tide of anti immigrant feeling in the country.  Add that to traditional anti black violence perpetrated by police and you have a toxic stew of hate in the country.

     Meanwhile, with the passage of the Covid 19 rescue bill, the Biden administration hopes to take our minds off violence in the streets and culture war issues in general.  With up to 75% of Americans supporting the initiative, Biden seems to be winning the hearts and minds of many Republicans as well as the overwhelming majority of Democrats.  His and the administration's competence in getting Covid shots into our arms has pretty much put to rest the "sleepy Joe" meme many in the GOP used to characterize Biden's supposed senility.

     The question is, can Democrats smother the culture wars and instead focus the country on economic prosperity for the many.   Historically, most race baiting and anti immigrant violence has been driven by economic insecurity.  Alleviating that feeling will go a long way toward uniting us.  

The elephant in the room

       As anyone who follows politics knows, the next few months will be key to the question of how America will be governed in the next few decades of indeed if the nation will be governed at all.  We are at a crossroads and reform or abolition of the filibuster in the Senate will determine which road we take.

    Mitch McConnell and his merry band of nihilists have used the latest iteration of the filibuster to basically throw sand in the gears of government for the last 10 years or more.  From choking the Obama administrations attempts to alleviate the Great Recession to making a mockery of the idea of the chamber as the greatest deliberative body on earth, the GOP has governed, if you can call it that, with the interests of the .01% uppermost in their minds.  It directly paved the way for an ignorant mountebank to become president and nearly destroy what is left of our democracy.

    Democrats have a chance to make the Senate work again as a majoritarian governing body.   They just need to reform the filibuster or abolish it.   Reform would seem the most doable option considering the opposition of Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema to its demise.   Making the GOP publicly own its obstruction of popular legislation from gun control to infrastructure funding will inform the vast majority  of Americans as to who is causing government inaction.  Even partisan Republican voters should see the mendacity which is all that is left to the party which has given up the idea of legislating for the common good.  

Getting ready

        Finally bowing to deadline pressure, I belatedly started planting peppers and tomatoes for the upcoming growing season.   There was some question whether there would be a garden at Casa Monzeglio this year, as the property is presently for sale.  However, lifelong habits die hard, so as the garlic pokes its first shoots above ground and the snow cover continues to melt, I will continue a more than 40 year tradition.  As the saying goes, "We'll see what happens".

Mr. Mojo Biden

     With apologies to The Doors, with last night's triumphant speech, Joe Biden's mojo is indeed rising.  Comparisons with FDR and Winston Churchill abound in the aftermath.  As one columnist put it, Biden realized before most of us the Covid 19 virus and its challenges would be the equivalent of what FDR faced in 1932.   He has responded in a way which has so far confounded skeptics and won him the chance to show government is not the problem, but the solution for problems.

    Unlike his unlamented predecessor, Biden is not looking to claim credit for any progress.  He implored the public to work with him and any like minded legislators to help with vaccination efforts.  Projecting a July 4 celebration in every American backyard, the president promised an end to the pandemic if only we all pull together.

     Many more challenges lie ahead and Republican obstructionism will be one of the chief roadblocks to progress, but if the ARP pans out, the economy will be humming in 2022 and Mitch McConnell and company are going to look like the sore losers they are when voters go to the polls.  We are on the cusp of a transformative presidency and it seems we have a leader who not only realizes that, but is prepared to lead the way.

The GOP quandary

          The headlines in my local paper today echoed yesterday's.   Filling out the benefit amounts each town in the three county area served by the paper, it was plain to see what each municipality would receive.  My own town is getting $780,000 from the ARP.   Smaller towns are getting lesser amounts, but the overall impact in the North Country, especially when you add the amounts individuals will receive will be enormous.  

         My local congresscritter, Elise Stefanik voted against the bill, calling it a "far left wishlist".  How she and fellow Republicans square their opposition to  a bill which helps a majority of their constituents with their support of tRump's tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy will be the tale of the 2022 elections.  Democrats have a vision of government dedicated to helping ordinary citizens dating back to the New Deal.  It is bracing to see the party returning to the philosophy which helped the country win WW2, end the Great Depression and lift millions out of poverty and into the middle class.  

Republican straw men

       In the afterglow of the passage of Joe Biden's and Democrats' American Recovery Plan, many in the media are dragging up the post mortems of the 2020 election in an effort to throw cold water on a triumph with bipartisan support.  

    After the murder of George Floyd and the nationwide protests that followed, the GOP strategists realized they could play on the fears of ordinary Americans who were distressed by activists' calls for defunding the police.   Once again, the culture war played to Republicans' advantage.  Instead of calling for a review of police procedures, Democrats were painted as the party of socialism and anarchy.  

     In light of the passage of the ARP and its overwhelming popularity, the culture war straw men the media and the GOP seem significantly less important to the average voter who are seeing tangible benefits flowing from the government and Democrats.  

Happy Days are here again?

       The headline of my local paper quotes the owner of an iconic local bar as saying the American Recovery Act grants 'quite a big relief" to restaurants and bars.  Coupled with the increasing numbers of people who have been vaccinated against Covid 19, there is a real chance we can see the end of the crisis and the possible resumption of life as it was before the virus.

      The injection of gigantic amounts of money into the economy will supercharge it in the short term, muting the Republican criticism of Joe Biden's administration.   Stupid GOP memes portraying the president as senile or stupid will fade as people find out government can solve problems and at least one party is committed to smart, competent solutions.

     However, as Paul Krugman points out in today's NYT, the ARA is merely a band aid on the longer term problem of an economy which still shuts out a large minority of the population from well paying jobs with a future.   Here is where a robust infrastructure program would be the perfect complement to the Covid relief bill, according to Krugman.   However, Democrats are about to find out once again the futility of counting on any bi-partisan input into such a plan.  The party may carve out a filibuster exception to pass a voting rights bill, but Joe Manchin has already put leaders on notice he will not support infrastructure unless there is GOP input to any such plan.  What happens next will have a huge effect on the future of this country.  Let's hope Mr. Manchin see the GOP for what it is; a morally bankrupt, anachronistic tool of the evil geniuses who have been working the system in favor of the 1% for the past 40 years.

Eyes on the prize

      Despite Harry and Meghan's tell all interview with Oprah and Andrew Cuomo's gaggle of accusers, the big news this past weekend was the Senate's passage of the American Rescue and Recovery Act and its imminent review and passage by the House.   Whether it is true or not, Joe Biden will get the lion's share of credit for sheperding the gigantic Covid 19 relief bill through Congress.  The ARRA is hugely popular with the public and the economic stimulus it will provide should set the stage for a roaring economic recovery in time for the 2022 elections.  That is when Americans can decide who is for Main Street and whose allegiance is to Wall St.

Another deadline another day

      Once more, QAnon has disappointed his cultists.   Somehow, DJ tRump spent his day on the golf course instead of being inaugurated as the 19th president of the real US.  I didn't know that due to the miswording of some legislation in 1871, the United States became a corporation and all legislation and elections since then have become illegal, etc.   The bottom line is the ever mysterious Q had assured his credulous minions Cheetolini would be back in power yesterday.

      Despite or perhaps because of increased security around the Capitol, there was no inauguration competing with the Senate's deliberations on the second Covid relief bill.  As Senate staffers droned on reading the entire bill for the satisfaction of Ron Johnson (Idiot-Wisconsin), tRump was probably cheating his way around one of his golf courses.  The disconnect with the American people's needs at this point in our history could not be more stark.  Republicans have become the party of "Freedom", although so far this year that seems to freedom to die of Covid 19.  

Moderate stupidity

       According to David Dayen, the savings gained by limiting the government's $1400.00 Covid relief checks to those making less than $75,000 individually or $150,000 for couples will save a total of $12 billion .   I would really like to know the names of the "moderate democrats who are voting to deprive hundreds of thousands of their voters in the name of some imagined fiscal sanity.  

      No Republicans are going to support this bill, so anything the Democrats vote to subtract is on them.   Meanwhile, many Americans who were eligible for the first two rounds of relief checks will find themselves out in the cold and they will know who to blame.

We are all Texans now

     President Greg Abbott has decided America has defeated the Covid virus and therefore every citizen has the god given right to head to their nearest bar or restaurant and have fun!   Abbott stuck a wet finger into the wind and decided his political future was in severe jeopardy if he didn't lift all precautions against the coronavirus in Texas.  I would be willing to bet most red state governors will quickly follow suit, even though in many cases less than 15% of their constituents have been vaccinated.

     It seems we are condemned to repeat this cycle of rising and falling infections followed by a rising death count.  With frequent mutations, it is only a matter of time before a vaccine resistant strain rises and we lose all the ground we have gained.  This is why we can't have nice things.

Day of reckoning

      Andrew Cuomo is staring down the barrel of a figurative gun loaded with accusations of sexual impropriety.  His continued grasp on political power depends on whether someone pulls the trigger in the face of a waning #metoo movement and Democrats' increasing reluctance to be the only party willing to hold sexual predators to account.

      Cuomo is a polarizing figure and it is perhaps not a true test of the movement.  Many people, myself included see a moderately competent governor who has flirted with Republicans in leadership roles and is not nearly as progressive as he proclaims himself to be.  In a deep blue state like New York, such behavior should preclude his candidacy.  But his footsie with the GOP has increased his political war chest to the point he can intimidate and foreclose challenges to his position.

     Now, with 3 women coming forward to accuse him of improprieties from the mundane to the outrageous, Democrats have a choice to make.  Do they "Franken" Cuomo and try to force him to resign or do they allow him to escape and expose themselves to charges of hypocrisy after condemning tRumps' behavior.   Republicans have with a few exceptions stayed out of the scandal so far, since the hypocrisy would be so evident.  

    Powerful politicians need to be held to account for taking advantage of their positions whether for monetary or sexual satisfaction.  Do Democrats have the stomach to force one of their own to do so?

Biden and progressives

     The circus in Orlando, Cuomo's belated apologies and the Golden Globes hogged most of the headlines on Sunday, but lost amid the worshipping of the golden idol in Orlando was some significant news for the labor movement.  Joe Biden came out in support of the unionization drive at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama!

     No other president, even FDR, has come out in favor of a specific union election and this one may be of supreme importance to labor in 21st century America.   Outside of unions such as the SEIU. organizing the service economy of the US has been a struggle.  Giants such as Amazon, Walmart and Target have been successful keeping the unions at bay with a mixture of intimidation, propaganda and strategic sweeteners which have kept organizers off balance.

    Biden's endorsement of the Bessemer union election send an unmistakable message to the union movement.  Let's hope the workers take advantage of this encouragement.  For those of us who think Biden is a lukewarm progressive, here is a concrete example of something he can do which uber progressives like Bernie Sanders cannot.