Monday, July 22, 2019

Thoughts?


23 comments:

  1. Continuing from two threads ago:
    Bill: "...the fundamental problem is that the media and talking heads try to force everything into a left-right axis." I have a similar point of view, that they try to force everything into a liberal-conservative axis/confrontation. The words "liberal" and "conservative" have been rendered pretty much meaningless, IMO. What passes for "conservative" has become, or has come to accommodate, frank radicalism, veering into anarchism. "Liberal" seems to be mainstream, with a strong tendency to conserve what is good. As for "populism," how did that come to its current meaning? The Populist Party, though it was crushed (in no small part by the official US policy of deflation between the Civil War and WWI), was IMO one of our country's shining moments; it was not racist, xenophobic, or authoritarian.

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    1. When you ask how "populist" came to its current meaning, I'm guessing you refer to the tendency of European media especially to identify it solely with the far-right, ultranationalist variety. I suspect that is because in Europe left-wing, fundamentally populist activism has been a constant and to some extent may have become institutionalized. It's so much a part of the landscape that it's resemblances to the relatively new far-right variety are not recognized.

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    2. You may have a very good point there, Bill; I will have to cogitate about it. The US has no significant leftist political parties, unlike many European countries. Now I must go eradicate some weeds.

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  2. Warren: “Warning lights are flashing. Whether it’s this year or next year, the odds of another economic downturn are high — and growing.” [Click] US manufacturing is now in recession, agricultural exports are in the dumps, domestic shipping is is significant decline. People don’t have enough savings, and risky business loans have been rising significantly. Warren predicted the 2008 crash, remember. Her suggestions for action now presumably foreshadow the actions she would take immediately if elected President.

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    1. Should read: "domestic shipping is IN significant decline."

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    1. ^ Astronomers denounce arrest of Native Hawaiian elders protesting the building of a telescope on sacred native land.

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  4. From the “Sounds good but I will believe it if I see it” files: Out this fall: RIP GOP: How the New America Is Dooming the Republicans by Stanley Greenberg. [Click] “A leading pollster and adviser to America’s most important political figures explains why the Republicans will crash in 2020.

    For decades the GOP has seen itself in an uncompromising struggle against a New America that is increasingly secular, racially diverse, and fueled by immigration. It has fought non-traditional family structures, ripped huge holes in the social safety net, tried to stop women from being independent, and pitted aging rural Evangelicals against the younger, more dynamic cities.

    Since the 2010 election put the Tea Party in control of the GOP, the party has condemned America to years of fury, polarization and broken government. The election of Donald Trump enabled the Republicans to make things even worse. All seemed lost.

    But the Republicans have set themselves up for a shattering defeat.

    In RIP GOP, Stanley Greenberg argues that the 2016 election hurried the party’s imminent demise. Using amazing insights from his focus groups with real people and surprising revelations from his own polls, Greenberg shows why the GOP is losing its defining battle. He explores why the 2018 election, when the New America fought back, was no fluke. And he predicts that in 2020 the party of Lincoln will be left to the survivors, opening America up to a new era of renewal and progress.”

    “Provocative, insightful and deeply personal ― RIP GOP shows how Republicans weaponized hatred, sexism and bigotry to hijack the Oval Office. Through vivid detail and analysis, backed up by hard data, Stan Greenberg outlines a blueprint for the New American majority to destroy the rigged system that made Donald Trump possible as he offers the hope that we can create an America that builds opportunity for everyone, not just the wealthy and the well-connected.” ―Senator Elizabeth Warren

    "In these trying times, Greenberg gives us rational cause to be optimistic about the victory of a progressive New America. Engrossing, thoughtful, and carefully reasoned." ―Robert B. Reich

    "It took a man with five college degrees who has elected five of the most amazing leaders in the world to write a book that makes sense of this screwed up country. It is convincing." ―James Carville

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    1. And then there is this in the inbox:

      A new NPR/PBS Newshour/Marist poll finds that by a 53%-to-39% margin, Americans said they would definitely vote against President Trump, statistically unchanged from a month ago.

      However, 54% of American voters did not vote for Trump in 2016.

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  5. Good day. Docs came. O2 was good; BP. better than they usually get; got blood with the perfect (no pain) stick; lung sounds good, AND. . . . I lost 12 pounds!!! Which I truly did not see coming.

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    1. Hey, great! You could celebrate with a double dip ice cream cone, no?

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    2. 🎉 Whoo hoo!!! I love this news!!! 😃👍

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  6. Report Sheds Light On Why Pence Abruptly Canceled That NH Trip [Click] “…his team didn’t want him to shake hands with an alleged drug dealer.” No sense of mission, I guess.

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  7. The family here is still in Waiting mode. Rough.

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    1. And only 40 years old. Damn. Damn. Damn.

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    2. Yeah. Damn cubed, for sure.

      We told our kids tonight that we don't want heroic measures when our time comes. Thankfully they all feel the same way!

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  8. Turns out the police won't let her see the iPad because the contents are so hurtful. I would say that a kid who kills himself on his birthday, knowing you will be the one to find the body is pretty pissed at you. After Tanner, I'd have thought the Universe could give her a break. Guess not

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    1. I seem to have missed the original post, puddle--not that I relish seeing it given this evident follow-up.

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    2. Alan, Tanner's brother committed suicide...apparently on his birthday, too.
      How horribly heartbreaking. 💔 She did so much for Tanner, and really deserves better.

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