And I do mean neocon. Here are two prime examples of the bellicose breed candidly schmoozing last week at Nancy Reagan's funeral:
And I do mean "witness" quite literally. Because an election whose one and only theme has become "Donald Trump!" has nothing to do with participatory democracy and everything to do with the ruling establishment trying to hold on to power by entertaining the viewing audience when not dividing and conquering them via the nonstop Trumpian hate speech they only pretend to deplore. If you're a Democrat, you are already being urged to swarm around Hillary, whose only honeyed attraction now is that she is posing as the anti-Trump. And even some Republicans are already pledging their allegiance to the Goldwater Girl in the event that Trump survives an orchestrated convention Dump.
And I do mean the "posing" part quite literally, too. The Clintons and the Trumps have been hanging out together socially for years. Their thirty-something heiress daughters were BFFs until they had to tamp down the public socializing for the electoral duration, while the political-media complex pretends that their beloved bipartisanship is suddenly an evil thing, for purposes of getting out the plebeian vote.(And in the case of Trump, even the plebeian vote may go out the window in the event of a brokered convention.)
And let me be blunt: clothespins are not an option for my face. This "contest" is truly one for the ages. The nose-holding and greater vs. lesser evil platitudes won't fly. Our choices are between greater evil and humongous evil. Never have two candidates ostensibly chosen by The People been more loathed by The People.
Meanwhile, since misery loves company.....
Thanks Karen, my feelings exactly. I have been in a funk and terribly grouchy for several days. So bad my wife asks what is wrong and we had out-of-town company that thought it was them - you know fish and house guests smell after three days. And last night, I got out out of bed at 12:10 AM after tossing and turning for an hour and listening to the clock chime the Westminster Quarters. I was awake until at last 2:15 AM having listened to the Westminster Quarters eight time. The Bernie Sanders sign is staying-in-place in the transom above the front door.
ReplyDeleteEvidently everything is NOT political. At least it looks just the opposite today. IF this is any help I look at it as a generational issue right about now. This is when Baby Boomers would be at their political zenith. And being dead center in that age I can tell you we are doing exactly what narcissistic damaged people do. Heres an example. We hated our parents. And they turned on their young in ways I still can't accept. Witness Kent State. We rejected morals because our parents were so immoral. That has turned into self conflict that churns on and on. As told in by Howe and Strauss it wasn't that the Greatest Generation was immoral- rather their interest actually lie in an egalitarian common sense kind of world view - a humble kind of getting ahead. Ours was this moral goodnes kind of existance. More of a being than a doing. But in the meantime the world just keeps on keeping on. We passed on raising children as helicopter overseers. Pretty yukky but very moral I suppose. And in the meantime the world went global. So anything we could relate to from our parents is meaningless. The core meanings are really trying to come out though. Liberals are still too afraid of morals to confront them in the ridiculous Clintons. Politically to get things done morals are rejected and we throw back to our parents as if we (morally) need to forgive them. By doing the practical thing. (both parties if you think about it) Both Republicans and Democrats are passing away, that being the angst of the power elite. Tea Paritiers and Ego Maniacs. And for the Democrats - Charlatan Chameleons. Ironically always. I can also say this because Bernie has never bought into it. He was and will remain an Independant. Hes not changing. Instead he is growth personified. Because everything is not political, (or is political but too messed up to do much good). There is solace in the truth and thats the view from 1949.
ReplyDeleteI hope several e-mails from Bernie Sanders and other support organizations are right that the states coming up for voting or caucuses will be in Bernie's favor and that Hillary's winning streak has crested.
ReplyDeleteI know there is some truth in this but to what extent combat delegate shenanigans at the National Convention will be a plus or minus remains to be seen.
Many comments from like minded people that point out that the generational political gaps will result in action in the unknown future from the youngest citizens, is also very possible, but again remains to be seen.
However I and most of you will not be around to be validated in our opinions. So, we must continue to speak out never knowing who might be listening and learning. Life is certainly unfair and unfolds mysteriously which I am sure is something we can all agree makes us very insecure and grouchy like Stev-o said.
Bummer, yes. But what makes me so mad is the fact that Sanders has been blacked out by the corporate media. And it's so frustrating that so many smart people don't see/know/acknowledge Clinton's lies and her contribution to mass incarceration, wars, and destruction of the welfare system.
ReplyDeleteI was going to change my party to "Decline to State" in order to be able to vote for Bernie in the California primary. But then someone in a Bernie group said not enough people are signing up to be delegates for Bernie, and one MUST be registered Democrat to be a delegate. And now I see I will actually need to canvass to get elected as a delegate.
Signed,
Reluctant Democrat
Still more than half the delegates to be decided. Not over till its over. Just one Romneyesqe "43% comment" from Hillary (not an outlandish idea)and the tide may turn.
ReplyDeleteMy fingers are crossed
Personally, I'm hoping and praying for an Act of God - or an act of the Justice Dept - to knock Hillary out of contention. Hey, you never know!
ReplyDeleteOn another note, anyone who was fooled into thinking that the NYT finally wrote a fair piece about Bernie Sanders the other day (Legislative Side Doors article) should read this: 'How the New York Times Sandbagged Bernie Sanders'
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-the-new-york-times-sandbagged-bernie-sanders-20160315
The Matt Taibbi article that Annenigma linked is instructive. If a reporter gives a fair shake to Bernie in the first digital version of her story, her editors will keep rewriting it so that by the end of the day the article reads like it was written by a hack from Hillary's Camp. Why? Because the editors and policy chiefs at the NY Times ARE part of the Hillary Camp.
ReplyDeleteBernie isn't losing as much as he's being repeatedly tripped in the race to the nomination. Hillary is the political Tanya Harding, only she has also has the powerful judges in her pocket. She/they will do anything to make sure she wins.
ReplyDeleteWhat's surprising is how poorly Hillary is doing considering all her many advantages which goes to show how weak a candidate she is. She can make all the excuses she wants about not being a natural politician like Bill or Barack, but is Bernie? Does he have 20 years+ in the public spotlight? A spouse who was President? Tacit endorsement of a sitting President? Practice from previous presidential debates and campaign lessons learned (presumably)? Years of fundraising?
'Vote Bernie - Ya Nevah Know!'
Elections are all about selling access which provides power. Any candidate who's unwilling to sell is unacceptable to the oligarchs and must be destroyed, no matter the party. They place bids on both sides anyway so it makes no difference to them who wins as long as they get access.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time we have not just 1, but 2 candidates who aren't for sale. This is literally a game changer. The Establishment usually gets their choices aligned with at least one of the people's choice and helps him (her this time) along to victory with the help of their media business partners. We know it works because no matter the change in Presidents and Parties, certain policie$ stubbornly and suspiciously remain the same.
Hillary has a big, bright, flashing neon FOR SALE sign hanging from neck so we know she is labeled a Safe and Effective product for them to use, but what about Trump? He's a buyer, not a seller. Will Mr. Dealmaker be forced to make a deal to raise money for a nasty campaign that the Clintons will wage? Bank on it. The media will stoke that one for all it's worth. Stay tuned. If he doesn't fold, this could get very down and dirty. I wouldn't be surprised to see false flag ops, such as sending people with Bernie signs into Trump rallies to disrupt, causing Trump to get media attention attacking Bernie as being the culprit. Kill two birds with one stone! They did similar things to Occupy.
If Trump wins despite all the efforts to bring him down, and IF he won't play ball, they'll try another approach. They'll Cheney him. They'll insinuate themselves into his campaign by using a thug puppet so that if he wins, they'll already be in place.
Wonder why Chris Christie is hanging out like a boil on Trump's ass? Trump is being Cheney'd. He'll ostensibly 'help' Trump, who's not a politician, negotiate the system, 'find' the right candidates for VP (Cheney/Christie himself) and the right candidates for his cabinet. The otherwise un-electable thug will get a coattail ride into the oval office by riding the popularity of the candidate, then take charge.
Trump is no George Bush though, even if he sounds as dumb. He, and they, could be entering dangerous waters. Not so with Hillary. She's a ready-made packaged product. They know what they're getting. No heating required before serving.
Bernie's candidacy is showing us that in elections, it's NOT the money, it's the M E D I A and how it's used. Money is like guns, weeds, or pests. You can't get rid of them but you can try to manage them with new or improved tools. That would be one of many tasks for the Political Revolution. Money is useless unless it's application is at the right pressure point, and at the right time, like early in the primaries. The fact is, like Bernie, if you're a nobody, you'll stay a nobody unless the media decides you're 'worth' covering, or until you do the hard work of raising enough money to buy the coverage that more famous people get for free. That's what happens when the so-called democratic election system has been privatized.
In regard to this primary campaign, if Hillary does win the nomination, it will *NOT* be by playing fair and square. Bernie owes it to us to ditch the Dems and run third party even if it means being called, as he already is, a 'spoiler' to a couple of spoiled brats.
What difference, at that point, would it make?
Nice terse and pithy statement from a NYT commentator. Wish I said that!
ReplyDeletebingden vermont
'The Media is the Super Duper Delegate in the race for the Democratic nomination.'
@Annenigma
ReplyDeleteSanders jumped into the Democratic primary, it's been said, to be assured of media exposure through the early stages of the primary. Do you think, now that he's got everybody's attention, he'll enjoy as much or more exposure by splitting off into a third party? The media would declare it has more reason to ignore him after it spends a little time mocking him as a flameout.
Is it obvious that Clinton has this all sewn up on the Democratic side, so Sanders might as well mount a dignified and heroic educational campaign for whatever media exposure he might get outside the duopoly's big tent?
Then we might speculate about which of the two, Trump or Clinton, Sanders might hurt more as a third party spoiler. Would Sanders hold on to anti-Hillary Democrats while pulling away anti-Trump Republicans? Could those two camps, joined, add up to a real threat, a plurality in November, against Clinton and Trump?
The thought of Hillary and Bill taking over the White House and Chelsea being groomed for succession is just too much. I can almost hear Bernie now at the convention, standing there giving a rousing 'unity' speech and wrapping it up by urging his supporters to elect Hillary and Democrats. Chuck Schumer will be beaming ear to ear. More of the same.
ReplyDeleteOf course if Bernie dared to run as an Independent he would be ostracized and hated even more than he is now by the Democratic Establishment. I suspect at his age he'll decide to stay and play ball with them rather than help the movement by being it's first leader working from the outside. People are like sheep and prefer to be led. The time is perfect for him to rip off voters from the Democratic Party (serves them right!) and sign them up with a new third party. What better time? Is he going to help us or the corrupt Democratic Party?
A tweet from Bernie today read "If patriotism means anything, it means that we do not turn our backs on those veterans who have who defended us." Substitute voters for veterans and he expresses my sentiment about what he should do after Hillary is crowned at the convention. Retire from the Senate, form a new party, tell the truth and let the chips fall where they may, and get this movement off the ground for the long term. It's going to wither and die unless he does. He could do far more good for the long run by doing that rather than banging his head against the wall st colleagues in the Senate, or even if he won the Presidency. He's simply be thwarted, not just by Republicans but by corporate Democrats. Just think Chuck Schumer, the new minority Leader.
It's so sad. He was our last, best chance. He tried, but they never gave him a fair chance.
Maybe 'Only the Billionaires Can Save us Now!' And a new political party to storm Washington.