A More Perfect Union

A More Perfect Union

For nearly all of its history, the United States has been a two party country. Many of the founders were leery of partisanship and wrote against it, but America has mostly had a binary political construct.  There have been flirtations with third parties and even minor parties have won local elections.  For a period, we were electing socialists the election of 1860 was a real mess, some in the south tried to repeat that real humdinger of an election with the dixiecrats in the 20^th century but then all those racist ass motherfuckers became Republicans and created that cracker wall across the south and Midwest.

Part of me (well let me clarify, all of me) wants to see the Republican party completely routed in 2020, with the Democratic candidate winning 400 electoral votes, 54 seats in the senate and increasing control of the house.  I know due to the way our electoral system is set up, that cracker wall and small states that are overrepresented that fact is very unlikely if not impossible but for the sake of our game, bear with me.  What would happen again, what would happen with the spray tan colored wake behind the legacy of one Donnie Jay?

Even under the best scenario it will be no picnic.  The stain of Trumpism will last for generations,  can the GOP suddenly revert to it’s old conservative principles? (don’t get me wrong, a big part of the Republican party strength nationwide has been its racism and misogyny but since I’m already living the Democratic landslide fantasy let me have this fantasy as well)

I have known republicans that actually had principles.  And while not a majority I think there were a lot with principles.  Most of what that stood for actually is quite at odds with what Trumpist republicanism is.  They were free traders, free market, fiscally conservatives, pro-scientific development,  supportive of a strong defense and of law and order and particularly law enforcement.  Trump is none of those things and somehow to get the lower taxes and anti-choice/anti-regulation judges and policies have made these “Constitutional Clownservatives” lie in bed with all of the other wacky bullshit.

It’s not like all these crazy MAGA motherfuckas just disappear.  The GOP may begin to list slightly towards the center, ditch its authoritarian ways but they are going to still find votes among the red meat right and the crazier alt-righters. And what happens to these millions that hang on this moron’s every word?  Many Trump voters just found Hillary for what ever reason they had despicable (and she was a terrible candidate but let’s not relitigate that, you can be a very good possible President and not a good candidate) or just voted Republican because they a. thought that Trump was a lot of bluster and would just be a normal Republican or be controlled by other Republicans (see GW Bush, 2000, 2004) b. find the idea of voting for a Democrat repulsive.  I don’t worry about these people too much, they showed poor judgment electing a POTUS that was authoritarian, anti-democratic and basically the worst President of all time but aren’t total nutcases.  Where do the nutcases go under this best case scenario rout of the President.  Can they be marginalized and put back in a box, ridiculed by the vast majority of Americans like weirdo conspiracy theorists were in the past, or does Trumpism continue to stain politics, policy, and governance for the foreseeable future?

Does this period of history become forgotten as one tries to forget a weekend filled with bad acid and warm beer and Phish, that time you decided to date that girl from Hooters as your soulmate, or that time you thought that those skinny jeans and feathered haircut were the way to go. Or are these people the permanent part of the party of Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower? It seem like the leadership of the GOP has fully baked in Trumpism and it has wide support out of a few intellectual anti-Trumpers and some meek and mild Baker moderate republicans who sort of sit there quietly and react to the extremely ridiculous. I fear it is here to stay and from time to time, as the pendulum swings back and forth politically, we get a very hard swing to the lunatic right from time to time, supported by opportunists like Mitch McConnell, who take these chances to push a more traditional right wing agenda amongst the populist grievances of anti-immigration, racism and sexism.

I do fear we have lost more than just and election or two, America has lost part of its soul.

Lightning Round: Don’t You Want to Win?

From the time I was in my late teens to early thirties, much of my free time was spent on various asphalt (and the lucky occasional inside gym) basketball courts in eastern Massachusetts.  Not organized ball, just pickup, full court when possible but mostly three on three or less, mostly with a core group of friends and others, just knocking each other around.

It’s the funny, little things in life that really sit in your head, between the big milestone events, like births, deaths, weddings, new jobs, etc is living.  On one random day playing full court hoops in a rare occasion inside, a bunch of us friends were playing against a group of other guys.  We’re all scrapping around, and at one point, a friend of mine, you know one of those guys who hangs out twenty feet from the hoop, waiting for people who work for rebounds to pass to him, says to my sweaty ass after a play, “don’t you want to win”.  For some of my close friends,  maybe 25 to 30 years later it still sticks out as just a funny moment that we all remember and repeat those words from time to time away from those youthful, active days. 

“Don’t you want to win” is coming up to me as we begin to see the Democratic primary Presidential race (and senate and house races) come into focus, even in its oversized, amorphous form that it is here in August.

The Democratic party as a long time sometimes reluctant member has always puzzled me, some rolling to the center right, particularly when dominated in the days of white workers in the past (particularly when there were strong industrial unions) to a day when some progressives are pushing that the Black Congressional Caucus is far too conservative for a modern Democratic party.  Republicans has always managed to have a big tent, a weird ass tent with lots of fucking crazy ass people but a big tent.  There have always been the big business types, focusing on low amounts of regulation, low worker protection, and low to no taxes but the larger base has been much bigger; running the gamut from wacko racists, anti-choice, anti-immigrant and of course one of the largest constituencies, the gun culture.  Many of these folks will vote and even more importantly show up to vote in districts that control the electoral college in sufficient numbers to win the electoral college and senate on a regular basis.  It may be outside of running a terrible Democratic candidate (you know who they are) or some type of Democratic scandal or just Republican incumbent overachievement, that a Republican candidate will ever win the popular vote for a generation in this country.  The demographics of the population, particularly the growth of the Latino population, just project to a Democratic majority, well until progressives take Latinos for granted and then you will see a population with “traditional” values start to move toward the GOP. 

Do you want to win?  Remember there are people that are not going to agree with you.  Who are not socialists, who may not think that the job of government is to provide a cradle to grave hand hold.  When treated like adults they generally understand the need for a safety net, who among us has not hit bottom and needed a hand up.  Whether laid off, fallen sick, seen a family member addicted to drugs or left on the bad side of tomorrow?  I think there are a significant number of Democrats (or all races, colors and creeds but particularly white folks who voted for Reagan) who really appreciate the idea but are sold some bill of goods that his safety net is a hammock.  Are some of these racist tropes, yes for sure, but there are people that have been convinced that the Democratic party stands for layabouts and do nothings and essentially have been pushed to vote against their own economic interests.

The Democratic winning candidate does no have to clear the table.  They are going to have to convince the hard core cracker Trump voter to vote for them,  but they have to carry a significant number of 18 plus old people to register, show up and vote Democratic in about 5 critical states.  The Republicans have figured out that they really just need to carry 50 percent plus one, (yeah I get the popular vote but bear with me.  The key here is not to win 60% of the popular vote the key is to win.  Don’t you want to win.

LEFTY LOOSY AND RIGHTY TIGHTY: MODERATING OUR LEFTIST TENDENCIES

The Politics of Free Stuff

OK, I’m about to piss a bunch of my friends off.  In a strange turn of life, and probably as a very intentional building of a bubble of really caring and generous people, I have a tendency to be one of the more “moderate” people in most of my social occasions.I know the counter arguments, and the arguments that I'm a upper middle class spoiled brat, but I earned every rung of that ladder so y'all can kiss my butt.

There are a lot of lefty ideas out there that are entering the mainstream of the Democratic party as the party lurches left.  These are mainly around the growth of social services which some define as a social safety net and others in the electorate describe as socialism.  The issue is many of the voters in primaries lean left and aren’t necessarily looking at the general election.  In fact because we have been so much concentrating on our bubbles it is nearly possible to ascertain what the majority will vote for.  For example how the hell could the melted creamsicle possibly win the electoral college majority in this country. Blame it on Russia, voter suppression, basic electoral/geographical math, but the necessity to win some Midwestern states and perhaps Florida/North Carolina are critical to winning Presidential elections.  And these states do not lean politically like the more liberal northeast and west coast Democratic poles.

                                                                                                                          

Many of the programs mentioned by the left of the party are not considered leftist in the democratic socialist countries of western Europe where high levels of taxation and of services are expected.  But for a great deal of the United States they are shocking and I imagine the level of taxation needed to pay for these programs would be shocking as well.  As a matter of fact, even getting to a balanced budget under our current system would probably be an unacceptable tax hike for most Americans.  The cost of these programs is astronomical,  many will argue and probably have a point, that in the long term people would actually save money.  So my arguments here are mostly that it is bad politics although as America’s last living fiscal conservative (I actually believe in increased taxes to pay the bills we have now)  There are some that think soaking the rich in taxation will pay for it all, but the math does not work, even a seizure of wealth a la the Bolsheviks would not make up enough funding to make this happens despite what any senator from a small relatively wealthy northeast state would tell you.

I do have some opinions.  Some have to do with the oft-quoted moral hazard that economists bring up, others with the fact that Clubber just thinks there is a budget fairy that brings free shit.  Number one on the GOP dance card is going to attack the Democrats running on all levels for socialism, although their fiscal conservative card is bankrupt.  That's what I'm really talking about here, there is one job for the Democratic party right now, defeat Trump and Trumpism.  Restructuring of social safety nets will just have to wait, as important as they are.  If the GOP can tie Democrats, socialism and a possible creating of an economic crater, then say hello to a more empowered President Trump for a second term.  It's our Achilles heel as Democrats, good is never good enough.

 So here are some uneducated opinions on the political ramifications of some of the more “socialistic” reforms being suggested by major Presidential candidates, some of which would have been saved for bong infested, smoke filled dorm rooms at Oberlin not too many years ago.

I think we can do a lot better job with our social safety nets and many of these infrastructure investments are necessary for the future moral and economic health, so I’m aiming at those that are just political non-starters .

Health Care

This is something I have a lot of experience with.  I’ve used more health care in the last three years than most people will use in a life time.  I’m also blessed enough to work for government and have a strong union (and my wife for government as well) and have really great health insurance.  This health insurance sent me to a month of care (and many months of follow up care) at two of the best hospitals in the world.  This is really remarkable, and it probably ended up costing under a thousand dollars in out of pocket co-pays along the way.  We also have had two children born for like 20 bucks a piece out of pocket.  I want everyone to have this level of care.  BUT.

Sanders 20 20

It is 1/5 of the economy and something that cannot turn on a dime.  The path to single payer, government supported health care under the best economic and political conditions is an arduous one.  The government is really good at writing checks, social security has prevented millions of elderly and disabled people from living lives of abject poverty.  Medicare has provided health care to millions of the elderly.(and unlike social security, even current medicare is not supported solely by that small premium you pay every pay period, it is a tremendous regular budge cost)  And like today, many voters opposed these programs that are now important to support of themselves or older and infirm family members.  However FDR and LBJ are not walking through that door.  The machinations through the senate are nearly impossible for a Sanders (and everyone who has lurched to the left) quick change to medicare for all.  For the electorate even a change to the Affordable Care Act, (which initially was hatched by conservative think tanks when being conservative meant more than just burning shit down and was support by noted chameleon and magic underwear model Willard Romney) was met with strong opposition, only an amazing effort at political jiu jitsu saw passage and even then in a watered down version. It required horror of horrors, an individual mandate, you know personal responsibility. What was missing was a public option (skewered by the nominally democratic Joe Lieberman from the Insurance Capital of America) that could provide an option for individuals and small businesses to access an affordable option to provide healthcare to themselves and employees. It was a continues to be the best first step to universal health care.  An interim step over a much longer journey.  

Politics is about money and fear.  The idea that we can shift to a magical world where everyone receives health care funded by the government in the very near future involve both of those elements. If the Democratic presidential candidate wants to say goodbye to the few union votes left in these critical state with electoral votes, the first thing they should do is promote medicare for all, the fear that the GOP will put in the hearts will have them voting Republican for another decade as they feel their current strong private health care insurance will erode, as well as with the elderly who will be regaled with stories on Fox News showing lines of unworthy Mexicans, hookers and drug addicts fighting for the attention of the health care providers that they desire.  In a post-truth America these are large pockets of voters.

Dude, stop yelling at me

Some of the candidates are already figuring this out.  The idea of a public option that competes on the free market (even if this doesn't pass in the current configuration of Congress) is a strong one.  It will resonate with voters, and provide additional access and has the additional element of not being political suicide.Sanders and other have said the cost savings to the consumer will be much greater than the cost of the tax increase on the middle class, but that makes the assumption that salaries will increase due to the lack of businesses having to pay for employee health care, if you believe that, I have a seat at my card table for you.

Cancelling Student Debt

The price of higher education has become astronomical. There was a time not long ago where someone could live very frugally, work two jobs all summer and a full time job during the school year with limited financial assistance and pay to go to community and state college (by using a monthly payment plan), work in restaurants to avoid food bills,  you may have to go part time a bit, take a semester off here and there,crash on people's couches, rent a room in a family house,  use the books at the library and get occasional food from a pantry but it could be done.  I know it could because I did it.  It may as well be a hundred years ago as the annual cost of higher education has gone from the price of a used chevy chevette to the price of a brand new SUV.  At the same time, most good careers with family sustaining wages (outside of a few careers in selected trades with a relative cap on the number of jobs available) require post secondary education. This has forced many students and families to take out enormous loans that mortgage their futures.  While most of the numbers will tell you even with this debt it is a long term positive investment, the beginning of adult life is shackled to a monthly payment when you are least likely to afford.  The matter is even worse for students who don't earn a credential or have been conned by a private profit institution that overcharged them with little chance of actual career placement.  The costs of higher ed have gone up for a lot of reasons, highly paid administration, much greater amenities ( I challenge you to go back to the public campus you may have attended or have friends that attended, they are palaces compare to the Stalinist architecture of the 80s and 90s) and just general inflation, making it a near necessity to take out loans.  BUT

Student loan debt is estimated at 1.5 TRILLION dollars, that's a lot to dump on a government that is already running record deficits and as with health care mentioned above is not something that can be paid for by just soaking the rich or even again confiscating wealth, which I don't even think happened in World War II where marginal tax rates for the wealthiest Americans neared 100%..  Again this is hard sell to taxpayers, it is difficult to explain to a guy cutting sheet metal in Erie, Pennsylvania that his tax dollars should be spent on some kid who studied french literature at Cornell at 60K/year plus using their excess checks to spend spring break at Cancun harassing girls from Vassar and spending a thousand dollars plus a semester on chicken wings and pizza while reading Ayn Rand.  I mean these attractive Republican talking points just write themselves. It's going to make Joe the Plumber look like nothing. And what is to be said for those families and individuals who took out second mortgages, got second jobs, etc and sent their kids to more affordable educational opportunities.  I mean I at least Sen Warren's plan is just supposed to cost taxpayers 210 billion dollars (50K@42 million if I did my math right).  It is one of those things that will just be seen as patently unfair to those who feel people knew what they were doing when they took out those loans.

And what to be said about the idea of future college attendance?  Is that all free as well?  Post secondary affordability needs to be addressed.  Young (and old) people should have access to education that will allow them to be financially successful in life.  Largely this is a state issue where of course in many state subsidies to public education have been dropping for thirty years, certainly the federal govt can (and has) support those goals of affordable higher education, but cancelling student debt is an election loser.  It is intended to get millennials off there ass and at the polls, as if having a fascist dingaling for President isn't enough, but among people who actually vote, it's a real loser.  Find different messaging around affordability.  As I tell my kids, if anything says it's free it's really expensive

So much for now, again, this is mostly a political view, not a policy view, most of these large infrastructure issues like health care and education should really be addressed collectively through government involvement, they are impossible to afford as a small group or individual.  This isn't fucking Little House on the Prairie. 

In a future edition I'll address reparations, child care, guaranteed basic income, and if I can even start to understand it, the Green new deal and any other political losers I can think of.

Lightning Round: No Mueller High Life

So this is something I'm calling a lightning round (patent pending), just a quick reaction to a weird day.  There was always some hope among many that Mueller was there to save the nation.  It seemed so perfect, Vietnam war hero, member of the power elite, incorruptible and Republican saving the Republic from Trumpism and disaster.  Alas, fairy tales are just that, there is no simple Cincinnattus putting down the plow and coming to the rescue.  In fact, Mueller's team did exactly what it was supposed to do, conducted an investigation and presented the facts. Did he goes as far as many hoped, no.  But he left more than enough for a normal Congress to work with, where an impeachment investigation could dig up even more information and frankly does not have the same high standards of a federal court and judge. (see Clinton later 1990s)

The scariest thing that happened is not that this nation of rubes elected a narcissistic, criminal, sociopath.  The founding fathers knew this was going to happen.  They came from a world of multi-generational syphilitic monarchs who would periodically run nations into the ground or a virtual buzzsaw. They knew they needed a remedy against the mobs, a somewhat anti-democratic (but republican) concept to paradoxically protect democracy itself.  But they could not have predicted the clown car that political parties have become. (actually Washington, Hamilton and Madison all warned of factionalism) The real scary thing that happened is that despite the protections the founding fathers framed in the Constitution, knowing exactly that this type of Presidency would exist, never expected the the electoral college and impeachment (including senate trial) could fail so miserably, being unable to predict that they would be overridden by a feckless gang of party first, nation if it is convenient Republicans.  

All the information is out there and Americans have dug in on what side they are on with the issue of conspiracy with a foreign power (or at least not preventing it )and more so the more openly obvious obstruction. In the Mueller report, the most important thing was the Russian involvement, he was clear about that. The collusion/conspiracy piece was always going to be difficult to prove, particularly when the real intelligence and counter intelligence material could never be used in open court.  (history in years will really illuminate the truth)  There is of course a preponderance of evidence that all these motherfuckas engaged the Kremlin to win the election put complete beyond a reasonable doubt proof, well let's say they got people that are good at avoiding that.

The only real new thing coming out of the Mueller testimony today will be how the GOP toadies would embarrass themselves as Americans. Representative Nunes, a nation turned its lonely eyes to you. There were many willing accomplices, the expected Louis "goo goo eyes" Gohmert (R-InfoWars) and Matt "I'll drive" Gaetz (R-Floridaman)  with their usual moronic insight into situations, who somehow can wake up in the morning and raise enough money from imbeciles to fuel their quixotic efforts towards peak idiocy.  Old Texas Louis capped off his piece by introducing his own "Mueller Unmasked" screed into the Congressional Record.  It wasn't just the usual rubemagnets,  nearly every Republican who were obviously working hand in hand with the White House fell over themselves to protect the President, trying to deflect to the usual bogeymen of Clinton and Obama, re-repeating Fox and Friends and Gateway Pundit conspiracy theories to you start to really second guess your own sanity.  Many were light weighted attacks on Mueller's character, using what was not an oscar worthy performance on the part of the Director against him. We've got to a point where everything needs to be a show and it is all in support of their leader, the greatest showman.  Years of service, knowledge, experience and patriotism  don't matter.  A man trying to protect his country, long after he should have been comfortably retired belittled by a bunch of well dressed thugs.  The constant bringing up of questions that he could not answer, due to intelligence reasons, (as well as executive privilege, which is somewhat ironic), was designed to make the case look weaker while really making this nation weaker.  Among the craziness (and I only got a chance to listen to a bit while I was in traffic) was a conversation about the word "exonerate" not being an appropriate word in a legal construct.  Nearly every bit of what the GOP was selling where it wasn't designed to deflect was a lawyer's dodge.  

At some point for the good of the Republic, our leaders need to put country ahead of party and ahead of the monarch.  No amount of tax cuts, deregulation and right wing judges can balance out the hole that is being dug.  If not it is implicit to us as citizens to change our leaders.  Difficult to do in a country that is so divided.

Our President, the Fucking Racist

my first rally in a long time after Parkland with my girls

It's been a long time.  Over 4 years to be more precise, since I've written here, I'm considering for my my long form stream of conciousness entries to move here from Facebook.  Mostly because that's what I used to do.  I used to consider social media as more of a here's my BBQ and garden, stuff I did with my family and stupid shit I did with Clubba but as the political became personal after November 2016, the idea of politics and more importantly the policies that were fucking up America, I tried to put everything on blast.

Well, that and having a stroke in September 2016 and really focusing on writing about that, which was super important to me in recovery.  I started writing here over 10 years ago during the run up to the 2008 election, when that went well like most of this on this side of sanity, we took an Obama breath, we all got fucking lazy, let Barry fight the republicans and went on our merry way.  Then the insanity came on.  I'll see how this goes, I probably won't add as many pictures or anything and I'm not as clever or patient or funny as I used to be about things, but I'll give it a shot.  I'm going to get a lot wrong, this is not researched news, this is opinion.  If I get some fact wrong, call it out.

The idea behind the angry middle http://theangrymiddle.blogspot.com/2005/ was 14 years ago when I really realized that no political extreme spoke to me, I found them both tired, unreasonable and unrealistic in setting policy.  I'm pretty damn liberal/progressive in the classical sense and I'm unwavering on human rights.  I do however believe in markets, that people should be able to work hard and get rich and generally be left the fuck alone.

I found this on Geocities

THE PRESIDENT IS A STONE COLD FUCKING RACIST

May you live in weird times -Stoned Confucius (probably)

I started this entry, had six pretty good paragraphs and then accidentally deleted but here we go.

It is really hard for me as a student of history to explain the President to my children or pretty much anyone else.  I mean there are aspects of the 19^th century Andrew’s (Jackson and Johnson) racism and certainly aspects of Wacky Racist ass Woodrow Wilson who brought racism into the 20^th century. Racism is as American as apple pie.  The entire nation was built on the notion of white supremacy.  Genocide, the most extreme form of racism was used to settle the country, and chattel slavery, perhaps only second on this ladder of evil was used to build it into a 19^th century agricultural and industrial powerhouse whose economic influence is felt until this very day.   This is not news to anyone who understands American history. (or has recently read Howard Zinn)

I none the less am a strong believer in America, I understand our racist history and understand it still exists today.  Through Jim Crow and institutionalized racism, these chains of ignorance remain collectively difficult to throw off. I believe mostly in the promise of America. And honestly believe through the bravery of the civil rights movement and a progressive America things were incrementally changing for the better.

what did you do in the war daddy

In politics, quiet, whispered “polite” racism filled with codewords has been a part of the Republican party campaign handbook since at least 1964 and likely fueled by those Dixiecrats who started to exit the Democratic Party (at least the platform of the Democratic party) in 1948.  It really started to pick up speed in 1968 with Nixon and the continuation of the southern strategy with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980.  (lets face it, 1972 and 1984 were complete wipeouts for the Dems as the GOP used their base and then just grabbed everyone in the center as the Democrats ran left.  I’ll leave that one right there)

Republicans and often Democrats often used dog whistles to communicate to their base.  Things like welfare reform and law and order communicated with large swathes of the population particularly in the south and Midwest.  Many felt a victory over racism with the election of Obama but the base was still there, belittling him and marginalizing him and treating him as “other”.

OK, let’s fast forward from the boring history screed. This week the President suggest that four congresswomen should go back to where they came from.  Its just a recent piece of his lifelong racism, ranging from housing violations against black and Latino residents, through the central park five, through his “muslim bans” through his thoughts on Charlottesville, and actions in post Maria Puerto Rico, Trump’s actions and speech.  He has a history of treating non-whites as other, as some how less than American if not less than human.  This is popular to many on the right, particularly those with less education (but common across all social classes) who have created their own grievance culture.  As if some new immigrant has a better chance for success in a system that has been designed to hurt them.

I need the fried dough concession at trump rallies

BASE, HOW LOW CAN YOU GO

All this is fucking crazy.  It is hard to imagine any other President would ever think about saying the shit that he says.  Fox and Friends, right wing twitter and rubes everywhere were quick to come out and say, “what, what, racism”  as if there is no church bombing or no use of the  “n” word it can’t possibly be racism.  In 280 character bursts the President continues to defame and retard the work of decades of progress towards equity and equality fueling a small but mighty base.  The Trump strategy for election is to keep this base fired up, showing up at the polls and make the Democratic candidate unattractive enough to get enough other voters to turn his way, particularly in the critical states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Florida.  (Ohio’s gone so cuckoo, so it’s not even a swing state anymore)  Therefore a 40 percent approval rate  makes an electoral college win.

So the President, as a narcissistic racist gets his fuel from rallies.  While Obama would fuel himself through policy memos and smart people, Bush through a cabal of more traditional republicans that were part of the power elite and neo-cons, Trump gets energy from d-list celebrities, fox news hosts and public rallies filled with devoted bumpkins. He is supported hand in hand by a cabinet that echos his radical beliefs and others like SkelatorAnne Conway who seek to amplify and simultaneously gaslight people with the feeling that the "other" are anti-Israel, anti-police, anti-veteran, anti-military and basically just hate America.  Spineless Republicans have adopted this all as a campaign strategy. Boy, are these people's grandchildren gonna be embarassed when they pick up a history book.

 These rallies have really taken on the energy of a fascist event, full of invective abuse of the media and women on the left and now going to straight up if thinly veiled racism.  The President does his best Alfred E. Neuman version of denial, until the next rally which energizes his campaign.  Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress and the yahoo network of fucknuts who support them in old and new media play the whatabout so and so game and the “they’re playing the race card” game that continues to feed grievance culture.  You'll often here Trump use the concept of "we" as if it's one against another. You wonder about how people you disagreed with, even disliked but were elected and respected public servants bought into the madness in exchange for tax cuts and conservative judges.  I imagine they understand how this base is situated, in particular districts they represent in low population, high electoral power states, states with large  numbers of aggrieved, overrepresented white folks.  How do people who came out against Trump in the 2016 primaries become such sycophants in such a short amount of time.

The issue is of course, the “mob”.  Nothing ever comes good from the mob, they see America as a game.  With winners and losers.  To them their team is white people, and people that aren’t white or are liberal are other and anti-American.  To them their thinly veiled racist “send them back” is a football cheer, rooting on their white team to beat the “other” people who are “not like them”.  To be against them is to be “anti American” or even “communist” in a way that has not been embraced since Joe McCarthy.  It is the most un-American of concepts.  The very motto e pluribus unum is built on the idea that we come from many creeds, races, ethnicities, and ideologies to build a strong and diverse nation.  The fact that documents written by slaveowners for slaveowners can be the foundation of liberty is a paradox but we are still an emerging republic filled with promise.

Stand up, put your head up 
Don't take nothing from nobody 

This promise is driven by women like these women.  You may not agree with them ideologically, (they are mostly to the left of me, but I love me some AOC, Elena are you watching) but they are smart, dedicated, hardworking Americans who have risen in America beyond their parents' wildest dreams. (or maybe not)  They were duly elected from districts that may or may not represent their ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds, they were elected to help to fill America's promise. I'm not sure where the fuck Ayanna Pressley is supposed to go back to in Trump's mind, her family was probably here when Trump's family was managing properties and exploiting tenant farmers for the local burgermeister.  These are the women, agree with them politically or not, that represent the best of America.  The ability to rise and lead.  If anything, this racism and attacks are the most possible anti-American thing one can do.