The president*s decision to put Mike Pence in charge of the coronavirus response in the US seems like advertising the decision to leave the American public defenseless in the face of what looks to be a pandemic which may rival the Spanish Flu of 1918. Not only is Pence not the sharpest knife in the drawer. He also bases many of his decisions on a particularly ignorant strain of Catholicism which he seems to practice avidly.
As I pointed out yesterday, the coronavirus is the first crisis to hit us since 2016 that was not of this administration's making. The bungled response to Hurricane Maria doesn't count, unless you live in Puerto Rico. Since only about 3 million brown people live there, most Americans discount anything that happens in the Commonwealth. However, when cases of Covid19 start popping up all over the lower 48, many people wearing MAGA hats are going to start reappraising their support for Cheetolini if the government response is to ask for prayers. Meanwhile, the 1% saw several trillion dollars of their wealth get flushed on Wall St. this week. If a robust, scientific assault on the problem is not forthcoming, they may also revise their opinion of tRump. As many have pointed out, the Emperor has no clothes on and now the rest of the population is about to see that ugly reality.
Friday, February 28, 2020
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Heckuva job, Brownie
With those immortal words, the Shrub began the Hurricane Katrina response which will forever define his administration as one of the most incompetent in history. I was reminded of that fiasco as i watched the current president* contradict a couple of experts on infectious disease regarding the coronavirus during a press briefing last night. Our dear leader was trying to quell the increasing panic in financial markets as the specter of mass factory closings and disruption of worldwide supply chains wiped out all market gains for last year and this.
George Bush enforced a personnel policy which valued loyalty to the republican party above competence. Fortunately for us, there was at that time a number of competent republicans in government, although a fair number of idiots and ideologues were appointed. tRump is choosing from a much smaller pool of applicants for government jobs since his guiding principle is loyalty to tRump. He puts fealty to him above party and country. The results so far include a short staffed government and increasing numbers of young opportunists without a job history who are willing to do obeisance to tRump in return for lucrative and important jobs they are not qualified to do.
We may soon find out if the coronavirus panic is tRump's Katrina. Aside from the Hurricane Maria debacle in Puerto Rico, this administration has not faced a stern test. If that response is a comparable to what we can expect now, I think I will lay in a supply of Holy Water.
George Bush enforced a personnel policy which valued loyalty to the republican party above competence. Fortunately for us, there was at that time a number of competent republicans in government, although a fair number of idiots and ideologues were appointed. tRump is choosing from a much smaller pool of applicants for government jobs since his guiding principle is loyalty to tRump. He puts fealty to him above party and country. The results so far include a short staffed government and increasing numbers of young opportunists without a job history who are willing to do obeisance to tRump in return for lucrative and important jobs they are not qualified to do.
We may soon find out if the coronavirus panic is tRump's Katrina. Aside from the Hurricane Maria debacle in Puerto Rico, this administration has not faced a stern test. If that response is a comparable to what we can expect now, I think I will lay in a supply of Holy Water.
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
More of the same
I confess I could barely watch the democratic primary debate last night. Every time I tuned in the vibe was that of a 3rd grade class which just came in from recess and wanted to continue to play a very loud and raucous verbal game. The moderators needed to channel their inner Sister Mary Elephant, but they failed. The result was everyone on the stage, especially the marginal players, shouting over each other and helping the GOP's attack ads take shape.
From what I could see, Bernie more than held his own, although in typical grumpy uncle fashion he chastised the audience when he got booed a couple of times. I have a feeling he will come out of Super Tuesday with a commanding lead. Everyone else on the stage, except for Bloomberg and his billions is nearly out of time. Without a decent haul of delegates on Tuesday the rest of the candidates will have to withdraw. It will be interesting to see who they throw their support to.
From what I could see, Bernie more than held his own, although in typical grumpy uncle fashion he chastised the audience when he got booed a couple of times. I have a feeling he will come out of Super Tuesday with a commanding lead. Everyone else on the stage, except for Bloomberg and his billions is nearly out of time. Without a decent haul of delegates on Tuesday the rest of the candidates will have to withdraw. It will be interesting to see who they throw their support to.
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
About time
It looks like Harvey Weinstein is going to spend most, if not all of his sunset years in a federal prison when he is not in court to answer more charges of sexual assault. The significance of the guilty verdict handed down yesterday should not be lost in the press of other news.
As the father of 3 girls, I know first hand some of the anguish women feel in a world designed for and run by men. From mildly misogynistic male teachers to boys who felt entitled to more than a polite kiss after a date, to actual harassment and discrimination on the job sometimes by other women, my girls have experienced things no male would put up with for a New York minute. The Weinstein verdict and an avalanche of lawsuits across the country are starting to change the contours of the relationships between men and women. But it isn't enough. Men with daughters need to not only protect the women in their lives. They need to help them understand that the existing rules, written and unwritten need to be revised and full equality of the sexes needs to be real and tangible.
It is ironic that a genital grabbing misogynist is currently president* and will probably bend the justice system in order to protect male privilege. However, as each successive generation of women is raised to respect themselves and demand the same from their male counterparts there will be less need for judicial remedies.
As the father of 3 girls, I know first hand some of the anguish women feel in a world designed for and run by men. From mildly misogynistic male teachers to boys who felt entitled to more than a polite kiss after a date, to actual harassment and discrimination on the job sometimes by other women, my girls have experienced things no male would put up with for a New York minute. The Weinstein verdict and an avalanche of lawsuits across the country are starting to change the contours of the relationships between men and women. But it isn't enough. Men with daughters need to not only protect the women in their lives. They need to help them understand that the existing rules, written and unwritten need to be revised and full equality of the sexes needs to be real and tangible.
It is ironic that a genital grabbing misogynist is currently president* and will probably bend the justice system in order to protect male privilege. However, as each successive generation of women is raised to respect themselves and demand the same from their male counterparts there will be less need for judicial remedies.
Monday, February 24, 2020
The guy you love to hate
Bernie mania is sweeping the country! That is the message being promulgated by the Morning Joe crowd as they wring their hands and declare the imminent demise of democracy if Sanders gets the democratic nomination for president. Cable news is rapidly becoming the biggest forum of the "anybody but Bernie" movement. For most of the pundits, it's really " only Mike Bloomberg can beat tRump". That's their story and they are sticking to it.
Many democrats of a certain age are indelibly scarred by the specter of George McGovern. I watched in abject horror in 1972 as the idealistic senator from South Dakota was buried by Tricky Dick. Many of us feel an atavistic fear of a similar event in 2020, although Bernie has a highly motivated base and will likely pull in most democrats. The margins may be smaller than 1972, but barring a crisis on the order of Hurricane Katrina which would expose the gross incompetence of the present administration, the result would be the same as 1972. Worse yet, many downballot races could go against us as well, resulting in a mandate for republicans to lay waste to the social safety net.
If Bernie is the nominee, we must not merely hold our noses and vote for him. Come the convention this summer, we may all be Bernie Bro's, and we better be prepared to act that way.
Many democrats of a certain age are indelibly scarred by the specter of George McGovern. I watched in abject horror in 1972 as the idealistic senator from South Dakota was buried by Tricky Dick. Many of us feel an atavistic fear of a similar event in 2020, although Bernie has a highly motivated base and will likely pull in most democrats. The margins may be smaller than 1972, but barring a crisis on the order of Hurricane Katrina which would expose the gross incompetence of the present administration, the result would be the same as 1972. Worse yet, many downballot races could go against us as well, resulting in a mandate for republicans to lay waste to the social safety net.
If Bernie is the nominee, we must not merely hold our noses and vote for him. Come the convention this summer, we may all be Bernie Bro's, and we better be prepared to act that way.
Friday, February 21, 2020
The Road to...
As the United States descends willynilly down the road to fascism, it seems right to ask how we have gotten to this point. The easy answer is today's republican party has decided to dismantle democratic norms in its effort to remain in power despite the demographic juggernaut threatening a generational advantage to the democratic party. However, if you talk to individual members of the party they will hotly deny any such thing.
You can pretty much trace the trajectory which has led us to our current situation. In 1964, the GOP was crushed by LBJ and the democrats. This victory led to medicare, landmark civil rights legislation and the war on poverty. Not since the heyday of the New Deal were so many people affected by government in a positive way.
While this was happening, conservatives were organizing. Prominent rich republicans began to bankroll what later came to be known as "wingnut welfare". They subsidized employment of ideologues through advocacy groups they funded. The pinnacle of this system was the establishment of Fox News by Rupert Murdoch. This was the syringe which injected rabid racism and misogyny into our discourse. Once the GOP found its natural audience, disaffected white men, it sowed the hateful mix of authoritarianism which has resulted in the election of Donald J Trump.
We are now at a critical juncture. Another 4 years of tRump will put us firmly on the road to an authoritarianism not seen in this country since the Jim Crow south of the early 20th century. We need to stand up and be counted in 2020.
You can pretty much trace the trajectory which has led us to our current situation. In 1964, the GOP was crushed by LBJ and the democrats. This victory led to medicare, landmark civil rights legislation and the war on poverty. Not since the heyday of the New Deal were so many people affected by government in a positive way.
While this was happening, conservatives were organizing. Prominent rich republicans began to bankroll what later came to be known as "wingnut welfare". They subsidized employment of ideologues through advocacy groups they funded. The pinnacle of this system was the establishment of Fox News by Rupert Murdoch. This was the syringe which injected rabid racism and misogyny into our discourse. Once the GOP found its natural audience, disaffected white men, it sowed the hateful mix of authoritarianism which has resulted in the election of Donald J Trump.
We are now at a critical juncture. Another 4 years of tRump will put us firmly on the road to an authoritarianism not seen in this country since the Jim Crow south of the early 20th century. We need to stand up and be counted in 2020.
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Post debate observations
Despite many on the left who advocate not watching the candidate debates, I have decided it is my civic duty to torture myself. Sifting through 2 hours of poorly worded questions and scripted, talking point answers it is hard to find anything which would make me proud of American democracy, circa 2020.
The questioners, led by the execrable Chuck Todd were less interested in policy than trying to spark verbal fireworks among the candidates, especially directed at Mike Bloomberg, the new kid on the block. It wasn't a pretty sight.
My take is Liz Warren had a pretty good night, although it seems a lot of people are turned off by a woman who commands the stage and who proves more than a match for any man out there. Bloomberg pretty much flipped everyone off when they challenged his unorthodox path to the nomination. Bernie was even more cranky than usual and it doesn't wear well. Biden looks like somebody's uncle who wandered on to the stage. Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar got bogged down in a spat over their respective experiences and it wasn't a good look.
This thing is going to drag out as long as the candidates remain funded, unless Bernie can deliver a knockout in the next couple of contests. It remains to be seen if Bloomberg's billions can make voters forget a lifetime of misogyny and racism. Altogether it was a somewhat dispiriting couple of hours and i wish I felt more uplifted.
The questioners, led by the execrable Chuck Todd were less interested in policy than trying to spark verbal fireworks among the candidates, especially directed at Mike Bloomberg, the new kid on the block. It wasn't a pretty sight.
My take is Liz Warren had a pretty good night, although it seems a lot of people are turned off by a woman who commands the stage and who proves more than a match for any man out there. Bloomberg pretty much flipped everyone off when they challenged his unorthodox path to the nomination. Bernie was even more cranky than usual and it doesn't wear well. Biden looks like somebody's uncle who wandered on to the stage. Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar got bogged down in a spat over their respective experiences and it wasn't a good look.
This thing is going to drag out as long as the candidates remain funded, unless Bernie can deliver a knockout in the next couple of contests. It remains to be seen if Bloomberg's billions can make voters forget a lifetime of misogyny and racism. Altogether it was a somewhat dispiriting couple of hours and i wish I felt more uplifted.
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