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Time for some fighting words

Monday, February 14, 2022

I’ve run across a lot of blog posts and other pieces pointing out that Democratic messaging sucks, this post being only one example. This is a drum I’ve been beating for some time.

I can’t quite understand why the Democrats are so reluctant to call the Republicans out for what they are. We have been hearing for years that Democrats are socialists (sadly, not) but what Democrat has called the Republicans out for what they actually are, that being fascists. It couldn’t be too hard for some clever Democratic strategists to come up with ads and social media posts comparing Republicans to the Nazis and Fascists they so admire.

Most of us were educated in our early years to look askance at book burning and book banning, and there is still a vast constituency that recognizes the danger of that sort of thing, something that is becoming endemic. The comparison’s with the Nazis and the fascists practically write themselves. And how hard could it be to compare the Republican’s drive to disenfranchise their political opponents with fascist techniques.

Along with ratcheting up the attack on the Republicans, the Democrats have to take on the media, and I don’t mean only Fox. The “mainstream” media has a nasty habit of normalizing Republican behaviors while doing their best to put a negative spin on anything the Democrats touch. They do this because they have been brutalized by the Republicans while the Democrats stood silent. Bullshit both siderism is not going anywhere until the Democrats start calling it out for what it is. Case in point, as Eric Boehlert documents here, we got months of But Her Emails stories about Hillary Clinton’s emails, which was in fact a non-story, while the media has spent the last week or so excusing Trump’s obvious criminality. The fact that the press feels free to act like this is directly attributable to the Democrat’s failure to engage in the tactics Republicans used to get a free pass for their criminality.

Oh well. I repeat myself.

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Yet another modest proposal

Thursday, February 10, 2022

We learn here that Marjorie Taylor Greene has warned that Nancy Pelosi has unleashed the Gazpacho on the American people. Really. You can watch the video at the link.

What a fund raising opportunity! Nancy should team with some well known chef of the Mexican persuasion and sell her Gazpacho to the millions of folks who would be happy to make a donation to the Dems in exchange for what would surely be a great soup.

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The Supreme Court isn’t partisan…

Monday, February 7, 2022

It’s just a massive coincidence that it’s rulings all favor Republicans, as they implement their racist agenda to once again deprive African Americans, other minorities, and Democrats generally, of the right to cast a meaningful vote, assuming they are allowed to vote at all.

Today the court stayed a lower court ruling that found -surprise-surprise- that recently drawn voting maps in Alabama “violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting the power of Black voters to elect their chosen candidates”. We need not pause to wonder if the lower court was factually correct, such a result being the whole point of these exercises, be they redistricting or changes to voting procedures, such as the elimination of voting sites in minority areas and the imposition of ID requirements designed to keep “those people” from voting.

As in the abortion case, the party hacks on the court have eschewed any partisan motivation on their part. In fact, they went out of their way to say that -who knows, we may uphold the ruling when we finally get around to hearing the case, but of course we have a busy schedule so don’t expect a decision in time for the next election so the state is good to go for now with the racist map. Basically the same sort of stuff they spewed in the abortion case from Texas. As in that case, they’ll wait until a convenient time to uphold the law, a time when they hope they can do so with little public notice.

The decision was 5-4 with Roberts voting with the dissenters. He is the guy, we should all recall, who wrote the decision gutting the Voting Rights Act, because, as he explained, the Act had worked so well that we no longer had to worry about racists depriving people of the right to vote so we might as well declare the pre-clearance provisions in the act unconstitutional. After which, right away, to the surprise of no one, the Southern states immediately began writing legislation designed to disenfranchise minority voters.

My general impression is that Roberts realizes “his” court has lost all credibility and, for that reason, in an attempt to restore the credibility his court never had, he joins the dissenters when it makes no difference. He’d like for us all to believe that the court is not made up of a bunch of partisan hacks, and presumably some in the media, who refuse to believe the obvious, will go along, even though they make no secret of their partisan bent as they attend right wing political events and give partisan speeches and, in at least one case, rule on cases in which their spouse is politically involved. It will be interesting to see if they go so far as to declare Maryland’s map, which favors Democrats, unconstitutional for some reason that doesn’t apply to Republicans.

If the Democrats ever get a working majority in Congress, look for this court to declare everything they do unconstitutional. We sometimes forget that a similar court actually struck down laws trying to abolish child labor. This court will be just as terrible.

The only thing about which I’m somewhat optimistic is the court’s response to Trump’s inevitable attempt to get away with his crimes. They got what they wanted from him and they don’t need him anymore, and if they rule against him they’ll use it as proof that-“So there! See! We’re not partisan!”

But I blather on. We are doomed.

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Some like them stupid

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

This article got me thinking about a theory that’s been percolating in the back of my head for a while. Here’s the meat of it:

Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican, has twice in the past three days promoted a fictional online rumor that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fled to the United States because of a protest in Ottawa by a group of truck drivers and others opposed to vaccine mandates, Covid-19 restrictions and Trudeau himself.

Roy even called for Trudeau, who was not in the US, to be deported.

So, here’s the theory, which I fully concede I have not fully developed, but there seems to be plenty of evidence for it: The folks who ultimately decide who will become Republican candidates for Congress or Senate prefer drop dead stupid candidates who will simply do what they’re told. The stupidity is a feature and not a bug.

Now, some might argue that Roy was perfectly aware that there wasn’t an ounce of truth in what he was saying, and that he was playing some sort of three dimensional chess strategy to appeal to the MAGAites. I don’t deny that there’s some Republicans out there that are a bit smarter than Roy, and know that they’re lying, but I’m not buying it in Roy’s case. He saw it on the internet, he wanted to believe it, so he did, and he was stupid enough to pass it on even though Trudeau bashing wasn’t likely to be a net plus benefit to him when weighed against the blatant stupidity. But in all likelihood he doesn’t have to worry about any blowback, because he’s from Texas, probably in a safely gerrymandered district where the home folks are perfectly happy to send an idiot to Congress so they can own the libs.

Roy is hardly alone in his stupidity. Louie Gohmert comes to mind as an individual with an IQ that’s likely even lower than Roy’s.

It must be deeply frustrating to be a reasonably intelligent Democratic Congressperson and have to deal with such rank stupidity on a daily basis.

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The decline of public education

Monday, January 31, 2022

Diane Ravitch’s blog is on my RSS reader, so I am kept aware of the continuing decline of American public education, both by the encroachments of charter (read for profit) schools and various educational “improvements” and strategies that are so obviously horrendous if not cruel that one wonders how anyone could advocate for them. In her latest post she quotes a former elementary school principal who quit in disgust in part because the school system in which he worked was inflicting standardized test on kindergarten students:

One of the experiences that made me aware that my time with public education was coming to an end was when our district began testing kindergartners. I would walk into kindergarten classrooms and watch students struggle and often cry over the inability to navigate iPads. I would leave those classrooms shaken to the core. The students who could work with the devices were not making decisions about correct answers but through simply getting the program to move from question to question. Almost none of these students could understand what the test was asking them to do. This angered me significantly because what we were focusing on ignored the activities that were needed to build an actual foundational developmental standard. No focus on gross and fine motor skill development or social and emotional growth. No test below third grade will give us meaningful understanding of what children actually know and that really is beside the point. The poor quality of most of the tests I have seen keep us from understanding what those form third grade through twelve understand! What we are doing to children, or being asked to do, is criminal and a denial of how the brain can get to a point of meaningful inquiry.

It’s worth noting that a relatively more affluent kindergartner is likely to have a greater ability to navigate an Ipad that one from a less affluent family. Our tests tend to skew favorably toward the fortunate. Funny about that.

Then there’s the movement in red-states to teach fictional history. It’s always been a thing down there, but the movement to legislate it and to punish anyone who attempts to teach the truth is an innovation.

The decline of public education is yet another long term process under way in this country to which we pay little or no attention. It takes various forms. Here in Groton, the number of elementary schools has declined precipitously. Little kids are now being sent to mega schools. I went to a high school where my freshman class exceeded 1500 students, and that was a bit overwhelming, though I was 14 when I started there. Imagine going to a school of comparable size when you’re in kindergarten. All to save a few bucks. I’m thankful that my own kids got through the school system before the town took a wrecking ball to so many schools, but I worry about my grandkids, who may have to attend a mega school, not to mention having meaningless tests inflicted on them for no reason. Luckily they live in blue states, so maybe they’ll learn real history, though you never know what may happen if the Republicans take power in 2024.

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Breyer leaving

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

So Stephen Breyer is leaving. Perhaps he finally realized that his belief in an “above all that” Supreme Court was a fantasy.

I understand Biden intends to pick a black woman as the next justice, which is fine, but there’s another qualification that’s equally urgent. She should be young, say in her early forties. We need to know she’ll be around for a good long time.

I’m looking forward to see how the press handles it when Mitch starts mewling that the Democrats are pushing the nomination far too quickly, and that they should surely wait until after the mid-terms to bring the nominee up for a vote. Other than Fox, will anyone take him seriously? Alas, probably so.

So far as I know Manchin and Sinema have not caused problems with judicial nominees, but don’t be surprised if they start bloviating that they can’t vote for a Supreme Court nominee unless that person has support across the aisle.

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An anniversary of sorts

Saturday, January 22, 2022

Now, this is not to say that Republicans were not lying like rugs long before this day five years ago. It’s just that as of that time, lies became far more respectable both among those on the right who spread them, and those in the media who gave them a respectful hearing. For it is now the case that it is Republican orthodoxy that if they wish to believe a lie an alternative fact they have every right to do so, and the rest of us must respect their right to do so.

If they want to believe the Big Lie, we must treat them with understanding. If they want to treat COVID with horse dewormer not only must we treat that decision with respect, but we must order doctors to prescribe on demand. We have entire television networks dedicated to the sanctity of alternative facts, for which said networks have so far escaped legal liability for after all, what reasonable person would believe them just because they expect you to believe them.

This is not to say that all alternative facts are created equal. Rest assured that if we on the left decided to try our hand at the practice, the press would spend zero time trying to understand us. But as it is, this is the new reality. The right gets to choose it’s own facts and any relationship they may have to reality is purely coincidental. It’s a longstanding practice, but today is the fifth anniversary of their own express acknowledgement that it’s what they do.

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Quite definitely no fun

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

I am in, hopefully, the final few days of recovery from what, my doctor tells me, is overwhelmingly likely a case of breakthrough COVID, and I can tell you it is not a pleasant experience. No idea where I may have caught it. Suffice to say I am now on the mend, and am keeping myself well hydrated, among other things. Anyway, it’s an explanation for a lack of recent posting, as among other things, it causes fatigue and a concomitant inability to concentrate. I expect to be in the mood to rant soon.

But I can still peruse the blogs and I thought I’d link to this post at No More Mister Nice Blog, as it makes a point I’ve made quite a few times: that the Democrats stink at messaging. We may now be to the point that our democracy will fall victim to their ineptitude.

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Let me explain something, Mitt

Wednesday, January 12, 2022

I suppose there are people in the press corps that will take this seriously, but does anybody else who is politically aware? Mitt Romney warns of the dire consequences of getting rid of the filibuster:

“The United States Senate is one of our vital democratic institutions, and the power given to the minority in the Senate and the resulting requirement for political consensus are among the Senate’s defining features,” Romney said on the Senate floor.

“Note that in the federal government, empowerment of the minority is established through only one institution: the Senate,” he added. “The majority decides in the House; the majority decides in the Supreme Court; and the president, of course, is a majority of one. Only in the Senate does the minority restrain the power of the majority.”

Romney proceeded to lash out at Democrats, cautioning that different types of legislation, including taxes, safety net programs, and national security, would change once a different party secures the majority.

“There is also a reasonable chance Republicans will win both houses in Congress, and that Donald Trump himself could once again be elected president in 2024,” he continued. “Have Democrats thought what it would mean for them — for the Democrat minority — to have no power whatsoever?”

Let me explain Mitt. If Trump is elected in 2024 and the Republicans have majorities in both houses they will get rid of the filibuster as soon as the Democrats threaten to use it. And you will not stand in the way.

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Book Report

Sunday, January 9, 2022

My professorial son gave me a book for Christmas: Anna Della Subin’s Accidental Gods. His book choices tend to seem a bit like reading assignments, but they’re usually interesting, and this book certainly is that. It is an examination of the tendency of some humans to bestow godhood, or to worship as gods, ordinary humans. Haile Selassie, for instance, is the god of the Rastafarians. In fact, Rasta Farian was his original name, before he became the Ethiopian emperor. Oddly enough, even the rather bland Prince Philip had a cult, which may or may not still be operating, now that he has shuffled off this mortal coil. Other gods, who have since faded into obscurity, were themselves obscure people of whom you have surely never heard. At least so far in my reading, with the exception of the Rastafarians, the god-makers have tended to belong to cultures that Westerners considered backward, but in many cases that was unfair. For instance, cults arose under the British Empire among the Indian people centered around British officers or officials who often were also their oppressors. The British may have considered the Indian culture to be backward, but it was, in reality, hardly that.

The book makes me squirm a bit, as she relates some of the claimed miracles performed by these deities as if they really happened, but more fundamentally I don’t think there’s enough emphasis, in fact there’s none, on the fact that these were cults and the majority of people in the relevant areas were not members. Not everyone in Jamaica, for instance, believes that Haile Selassie is or was a god. Of course one could argue that the majority of people in this and other countries believe in the godhood of Jesus Christ, for which there is as little evidence as there is for the godhood of Prince Philip, but that would require too much time to fully discuss.

Anyway, the book has gotten me thinking about whether there is a similar phenomenon going on here in the USA. Given that a claimed Christianity is so deeply embedded in the whackjob culture, explicit deification of anyone other than Jesus is out of the question, but an analog to deification is certainly on the table.You can see where this is leading, right? One pattern that comes through in Subin’s book is that once deified, it is almost impossible for the believers to shed their belief, even when the deity in question disclaims his (she points out that the god is always a male) own divinity, or, in at least one case, where he literally whips his followers for deifying him.

We can certainly see this sort of thing happening, absent the explicit deification, with a certain very stable genius, whose adherents will almost univerally (there are always a few heretics) continue to adore him no matter what he says or does, including demonstrable lies that are apparent to anyone with a brain, total hypocrisy (vaccines for me but not for thee) and a total disregard for the interests of the true believers. In the orange man’s case, he not only encourages the pseudo-deification, he may believe it himself, which sets him apart from the likes of Prince Philip.

So, our culture is not so far removed from those in which godhood is bestowed on mortal man. As in those cultures, our deifiers seem to have the same bad taste in deities as those discussed in Subin’s book, for at least so far in my reading, good Prince Philip seems to be the most praiseworthy of the deified, and that’s not saying much.

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