Rolling the Bones with Uncle Joe

Yeah, this post is going to get me fucking slaughtered, I can hear people right now.  So essentially we are down to six even close to "serious" Democratic candidates.  Everyone of them has a fatal flaw in electibility.  Some just by the perceptions of a lot of voters that you need to get to win, others that just kind of suck.

Fatal flaws in 7 words or less.  Now some of these are offensive and not my views but those of the fucking sans culottes who brought us the current President and Senate.  These are the things that both upfront and dark money would be paying for after the DNC for the general election.

Bernie-aged commie
Pete-gay guy with husband
Warren-commie pocahontas
Biden-gaffe filled grampa
Bloomberg- Rich Jew mayor of New York
Amy-mean bitch, comb salad

The targeted social media in critical states is going to be off the hook.  Yes, Virginia there is an electoral college no matter what your hopes, dreams and unicorns would have you believe, only about 8 states are in play. (Bernie probably makes that 12-15)

A little background about my "endorsement" and I make this endorsement by picking the least clowny clown in the clown car.  I donated money to Klobuchar after my brief flirtation with Senator Harris, I found Amy to be the "safest" of candidates, I mean other than being "mean" and "she was a prosecutor" it's hard to see in the general election what would be the attack ad. Is the Trump campaign going to attack Amy for locking Black people in jail, it's probably the worst knock on her, but it ain't losing her any votes in the general.

Also, I will vote for any democrat who is running against Trump in November.

I am (at least for the next week or so maybe) a centrist Democrat.  I strongly believe in infrastructure, that government should provide the ability to create a backbone for folks in this country to have social and economic success.  Transportation, public safety, education and yes, health care are critical to entrepeneurship, markets and personal success, safety nets are needed for both those who have less among us and those that want to leave a safe job with benefits to explore greater opportunity.  I am a capitalist (leftist shudder...) I believe that people should be able to do well, and even get fabulously wealthy in well regulated markets and pay a "fair share" of taxes as in scripture it is said, to whom much is given, much is expected.  I believe that Americans have a right to gun ownership but that background checks and other violence control methods are critical,  do I have a right to have a 105 mm howitzer on my front stoop trained on my neighbor's backyard?  I believe in humane immigration control, somewhere between the open borders canard and the build that wall losers.  Your family "did it right"/"came here legally" because there were very few restrictions, if you weren't a polygamist, an anarchist or had a commnicable disease and said you had someone to stay with, you were basically in, at the same time nations should be able to police their borders.  I am a fiscal conservative, I think we should pay our bills, I think our taxes are too low and we should all be taxed at a level to pay for all the things we need and want, and we should have highly qualified, empowered public servants who monitor that we are getting the best deal for the money we are saving.  I could go on forever but I'm trying to make a point, I am not an ideologue, I do not believe any one person has all the solutions to all of our problems. As most of you that know me, I am probably as wacko as it comes when it has to do with civil and individual rights.  But y'all probably don't think I'm as woke as I should be.  There are a million more issues, defense, climate change, foreign policy, etc but you get my drift.

So here we go, I'm for Joe.  I know everything that is bad about Joe, Joe is old, Joe's first terrible run for President was 32 years ago where he was soundly thrashed by Brookline's own sweater wearing erstwhile tank crewman Mike Dukakis. Joe makes gaffes, his stories smell like werther's originals and sound like dry drunk tales.  Joe's times has passed, he hugs little girls and smells of brylcreem and Scranton.  Oh and Hunter Biden,  dammit Hunter, WTF.

OK, so let me tell you why, again I am not a "seize the wealth" Democrat.  I know enough about history to know how that ends up.  To be really selfish, through hard work, education, and a whole lotta of luck, our family is probably in the top decile of family income in this country, I have access to great health insurance. We've worked hard to build wealth, public schools and thriftyness/living below our means have helped, and we aren't wealthy but there is a very good chance our kids will be.  I fear this "wealth" being taxed at extreme rates to satisfy the will of leftist, socialist programs.  If that sounds selfish, again, yup it probably is, but think about a lot of voters across this country who feel the same way and they'll get you four more years of trump.  I've identified myself as a progressive most of my adult life, to me a feeling that the world is in constant flux and one's politics and beliefs change to meet that change and its inherent challenges.  I never really saw it as socialism. And as much as I will, I have no desire to vote for a nearly 80 year old socialist who yells at me.

I believe in Joe, because he believes in America and the American people.  I truly believe that, and despite all the warts and all of Joe Biden, he is proud of America and Americans.  He believes in the Democratic party as the party of the people that have been successful in America and of people that have been left behind.  While not my first choice among the 300 milion people in this country, he is what is on the menu.  To be frank, I think he has the best chance to win.

Many of my good friends on the left this is a time to be transformational, that voting for a moderate is just voting for more of the same, that this is an opportunity to make America the place they think it should be.  My bumper sticker for this election is "I ain't looking to change the world right now, I'm just trying to wrest power from that fucking fascist ass mothafucka".  (trademark pending)  This is not your rainbow and unicorns election, this is the reset election, this is where you unplug America and plug it back in, where you get yourself back a sense of decency, morality and normality that a Biden administration would bring.

I think that Biden will choose the right people in the administration, and I think that's his selling point.  I think a lot of people look at the nominee in a debate, oooh what will Trump do in a debate.  Honestly when is the last time a Presidential GOP nominee won a debate?  Hillary cleaned Trump's idiot clock.  I think that a Biden administration will have highly qualified members chosen from the best America has to offer. I think there are a lot of Americans in the 8 states that matter that will see Joe's decency as a strength, possibly carrying the former blue wall of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan into the White House.

I'm not going to pretend to be enthusiastic about this,  this is not a transformational Obama exciting type of candidate.  I think you win by not being transformational, not being a hollering celebrity at the edge of the political spectrum.  By not being the candidate that people holding their nose go to vote for in the general election.  Right now I feel a gun is being held to the head of the large majority in the center by the right and left of the political spectrum,  the whaddya gonna do vote for that fascist blowhard or whaddya gonna do go vote for that octogenarian socialist?

This is the most important election of our lives and somehow the Democratic party has brought up the political equivalents of Tony Orlando and Dawn and Carter Country.  This being said in this crazy two party system, we gotta stand behind someone and I'm rolling the bones with uncle Joe.

Rest in peace, my timeline because here come the "leftsplainers"

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.

Handicapping the GOP Field

Every once in a while I think about this blog and how much fun I used to have writing it.  After the first one, I slowed down, after the second kid, it became non-existent, other interests, etc.  I've also grown to hate the gross morbidity of politics.  The ideology, the dogma, the selected information and data, and the general echo chamber/circle jerk of the political poles.  But I can't resist handicapping a field, like I did in 2007 especially when the field is just so fricking crazy.

I really have no idea what's going to happen, primaries without an incumbent are pretty much open and crazy, and open and crazy pretty much defines this GOP field.  I'm certain this is not what the Wall St. and Main St. Republicans really want to see, there are a lot of wacky dudes up in the mix (and a wacky chick to keep it frothy).  There are some angry ass people out there, from a lot of different angles, while I'm still waiting for the FEMA camps to open and all guns to be seized, apparently Obama the shapeshifting socialist dictator/person who does nothing but golf (for the love of God pick one, is he a crazed New Black Panther or a layabout?) can't seem to get any of his evil plots to keep the white man down.

If you want an actual good description of the candidates go to the Atlantic. Odds are for the GOP nomination, as of Independence Day 2015.

Jeb Bush  3-1

Sadly after the great conflagration of 2009, only seven families remain in America, so we have to keep having the same families throw their hats in the ring for the White House.  How odd other countries must think that a democracy does this.  Jeb is the candidate that the mainstream GOP wants. Mainly because he lacks the prime ingredient of most of the rest of the field, that being defined as being a little nuts.  Bush has some baggage, and may not be getting the wacky billionaire money but he is going to get the lion's share of the conservative multi-millionaire money, so while he is not going to be feasting at the table of Crassus, there will be a shitload of monopoly guys tossing in their dough.  Jeb is going to do his best to protect the status quo economically, particularly protecting rich people's dough compared to whatever crazy taxcutting/economic schemes the Club for Growth crew may have in mind.  Jeb is tethered to a guy who for some reason invaded Iraq, but to some people this was still a good idea. I think Jeb is the odds on favorite, and he would be smart to run center right, and pick up Kasich from Ohio as a running mate. 

Ben Carson 30-1

Dr. Carson was a celebrated neurosurgeon that was put on a pedestal by liberals (hell, everyone) as a guy who lifted himself up by his bootstraps, to become an accomplished neurosurgeon and medical professor.  He was lefty Hollywood's dream, until of course someone asked him about his politics and realized that really he was batshit crazy.  He has compared Obamacare to slavery for example and makes references that the United States is like Nazi Germany.  There are however some people who have similar feelings and feel this "well spoken" brain surgeon is electable.  Last week in Saugus I saw a pick up truck with three Carson bumper stickers on it.  There is a small number of teaparty voters who are expressing interest, he's not going to come close to smelling the podium, but I'll be he gets 10% in South Carolina.

Chris Christie  20-1

Hmmh, eastern Republican in a possible state that can be turned red, a Governor with executive experience that is close to the Wall St. control center of the world, may a bit socially liberal making him electable in a country that leans that way. There are two real reasons that Christie doesn't have a chance of being elected.  1. He is a fat fuck.  I don't mean chubby, or middle aged spread but he makes Taft look like Coolidge.  He looks like his sweat glands have sweat glands. Taft really was our last fat President, in this day of television media, it's just not happening, you can't hide that with a sweater vest or something, sorry to say this, but American has a collective vanity.  2. He fucked with traffic. In many polls that I just made up, traffic polls up there with Isis as something that every American hates. And through "Bridgegate", Christie conspired to make NYC metro traffic worse, he may as well hole himself up in Tora Bora after that, he doesn't have a prayer.  But damn this brother is going to eat through Iowa like a mf'er.

Ted Cruz  90-1

Senator Cruz is a maniac. He just looks crazy. I can't think of who he looks like.  (is it Grampa from the Munsters?) And not only is he nuts, he's got probably the craziest father in American politics in a long time.  Here's another Tea Party darling, unfortunately for the Tea Party they can't seem to find one candidate that can run in the primaries and instead spread their votes among many losers.  Texas is just a crazy state, they just want to vote for people who are going to say the most radical things against the "libs" and in particular the President without any real substance, other than yelling "liberty" like my 4 year old yells for Paw Patrol. The thing with Cruz is that he must be a smart guy, he's got two Ivy League degrees, what kind of cognitive dissonance is this all about?

Carly Fiorina 100-1

Oh look, a Republican girl... Haven't we done this before?  Fiorina is trying to sell herself as this year's Romney, and that America needs a CEO to "right the ship". Like Romney she has the advantage of being attractive to those that support the idea of America as a corporation, and particularly liking the idea of having someone who had a great deal of economic success taking leadership, the idea of aristocracy, oligarchy and rule by the 1%.  There is some indication that she was not as successful as a CEO that she presents herself as, and really destroyed much of HP's corporate culture.  Since it is unlikely we will merge with or acquire another country, her skills may not be as advantageous as one may think.  Also, it is hard to imagine her debating the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hilary Clinton.  We've moved a long way but seeing two women on that dais is unlikely. 

Lindsey Graham 100-1

Lindsey ham.  Confirmed bachelor?  Man about town?  Stone cold playa?  Hard to tell, regardless in a red meat GOP primary, it is unlikely for a guy to land an electorate who can't land a lady.  His advantage?  Maybe the early primary in his homestate.  Also in this avalanche of crazy conservatives, his more traditional conservative, Reaganesque conservatism may be more attractive. His disadvantage he seems to want to go to war with everyone.  Unless this is attractive to people, I don't see much of a chance.

Mike Huckabee 666-1

Huckabee is the ultimate huckster.  I actually found some humor in him in 2008 where I had him at 150-1, seemed like a fat guy, who by skipping the gravy and taking long walks got somewhat healthy, played guitar and just was kind of a regular, wacky conservative Christian.  But really he's not, he hangs around with the worst kind of homophobes,   and is unapologetic about that support.  Mike is really in the race to sell books, get Internet hits, and get ready for whatever is next in his broadcasting career, in a cavalcade of dooshbags, he may be the worst of them all. His support will be limited to the most evangelical of evangelical, the snake handlers who can't really bring themselves to support Santorum, a Catholic or Jindal, a brown guy.

Bobby Jindal 600-1

Piyush is a Rhodes Scholar from Louisiana, which makes him the most accomplished Louisianan who is not a jazz musician other than Drew Brees.  He is also one of the worst governors in the country, who was just today probably bailed out from his state being in near arrears because of the settlement of the BP lawsuit.  Yes, thank God for that oil spill that will help us to balance our budget.  I see little appeal for Jindal, he is one of two candidates (along with Santorum) that I think I may be able to outpoll in many states as a GOP candidate.  There are some who are campaigning for the Presidency in this race, others for the VP, some to make a point around a particular issue, some to sell books or get a job at Fox News, all for notoriety and ego, but I cannot for the life of me figure out what Jindal thinks he's doing.  It's gotten so bad, that the President's approval rating is higher than Jindal's in the state of Louisiana.

George Pataki 500-1

Granted, I haven't been following politics very closely, but I had no idea he was in the race. Pataki is a northeast moderate Republican without the chameleon like effect of Romney. There's really no reason to write anymore, Elliot Richardson is not walking through that door.

Rand Paul 12-1

Rand Paul scares the living snot out of the GOP.  They do want millennials to look at the GOP as the party of liberty.  (Liberty of course being defined rather narrowly and not involving gay, lesbians, or minority voters)  They do not want the "libertarian" wing taking over the party.  I have a couple of friends who voted for his dad years ago, mostly around the marijuana issue.  To many, even on the left,  Rand has views that resonate with them, around the NSA and privacy, around a more isolationist foreign policy, the aforementioned marijuana, and the recognition of the US' movement towards a national security state.  Paul could do well early, particularly in some caucus states with other candidates dividing religious conservatives, etc. It will be very curious how the "mainstream" GOP treats his candidacy.  He is a candidate that is a true believer, specific to ideology, not looking at the next paycheck/book deal and not looking for the second spot.  There is nothing more dangerous than a true believer.  The fear of the establishment on both sides is Sanders and Paul doing well early.  Paul is a selective "libertarian" leaning more toward the state's rights/10th amendment type.

Rick Perry  300-1

Rick Perry is a three term governor of Texas.  He is extremely popular in Texas.  He is really conservative, which Texans like.  I'm unsure if anyone else likes him and he bombed in the last election.  I got nothing else right now.

Marco Rubio  20-1

If Jeb Bush is not the nominee, Rubio is the vice presidential candidate.  He has the politics of Palin, the good looks, the good story without being a fucking moron.  Rubio is young, married to a former cheerleader and has the potential to get out some Latino votes for the GOP which have traditionally ignored a population with a tendency to be social conservative because beating up on immigrants really played well with their base.Without any other tea party like candidates, he would likely play pretty well in the early primaries.  We'll see how he can work the retail politics of New Hampshire and Iowa and gain any ground.

Rick Santorum  666-1

Rick Santorum is another candidate that couldn't win his home state, if every other religious conservative drops out, he could break five percent.  But this is a guy in it, who knows that he can't win it.

Donald Trump 50-1

These odds should be much higher.  Trump has huge name recognition, greater than any other candidate other than Bush, and is attractive to yahoo's.  Yahoo's may come out and vote in some of the early primary and get him some decent double digit numbers if he decides to stay in the race until winter/spring 2016.  My bet is he doesn't have the staying power to last that long and is out by Thanksgiving to work on "other ventures" as a true capitalist, unable to work within a system that can't handle the truth.  Trump is a strong believer that there is no such thing as bad publicity.  People will confuse their First Amendment rights with actually being able to say anything stupid they want without retribution. Trump is proud to be one of America's biggest most arrogant assholes.  He confuses this with leadership.He sees diplomacy and honest negotiation as weakness, unfortunately, many Americans agree with him.

Scott Walker 10-1

Diehard conservative credentials? check.  Anti-government guy who runs government? check.  Hates government employees? check.  This resonates with a lot of people, of course until they ever need services from the government.  Walker had some huge victories in a state that used to elect socialists on a regular basis against organized labor (the battle with whom he compared to his ability to fight ISIS).  Walker as a relatively young man could be looking at a second spot if he can't pull himself up to the top. He will get some of the billionaires to really get behind him, there will be a lot of dark money out there to support someone with these conservative credentials.

More to follow, don't sleep on Romney with this clown car.