Time for a New Direction

In regard to this Bret Stephens piece in today's Times:

I am always wary of discussions that come from the angle of "reverse racism". It's not unlike my reaction to the police-have-a-tough-job-so-just-leave-em-alone argument. The point is that police unions, police departments. and the criminal justice system in general have had ample time to solve the problem of police murdering unarmed black people. They failed. Now other people have decided to try different things and they whine about it. Well, you had your chance.

This is similar. Speaking as a seventy-something white guy, we've had our chance to solve the race problem in America--a problem entirely created by us white people--and we have failed. Now other folks are advancing ideas to try address the issue. Maybe some of those ideas are better or worse than others. Over time we can weed out the good from the not-so-good. But I for one am ready to start listening--and I hope heeding--nonwhite people about this. We had our opportunity. It's time to stop whining and start listening.

Bret Stephens says new racism won't solve the old racism. I say bullshit. It's too late.  You and your ilk had your chance.

Another Update

About a month ago I had a post "Done with the Dems". In the ensuing month I have become nothing but more pessimistic about everything I said there.

So glad the Dems got the White House, Senate. and House. Bleh.

Bernie Is Right Again

Bernie Sanders has an excellent essay in Foreign Affairs and, as usual, he is right on. As he says in the piece, there are plenty of things to be concerned about vis-a-vis China, but none of them requires declaring a new Cold War.

Twenty years ago the Chamber of Commerce and other right-wing-capitalist lobbying groups were all for trade with China. After all, they claimed, if China becomes a part of the rest of the world, it is inevitable that it will moderate--it just has to. Well, that didn't quite happen. But that wasn't their real reason for supporting "free trade" in the first place. The real reason was that there was a lot of money to be made. And a lot of money was made, largely at the expense of American workers (and Chinese workers as well).

Well, lo and behold, now there is money to be made by declaring American First. So the same right-wing capitalists are banging their jingoist drums about human rights and all sorts of fear mongering.

It's all about money.

Quote of the Day

"If you’re sick of 'defund the police,' if that’s not a 'helpful message' for your community, then give me a plan to stop the cops from shooting us."

Elie Mystal

With Friends Like These (Part 2)

The Democratic Leadership put out an almost identical statement to the one referenced in my earlier post today. This is disgusting and dishonest. We know which constituency they aim to please. Another nail in  "I'm Done with the Dems". Pelosi is endangering the life of Ilhan Omar.

With Friends Like These Who Needs Enemies

There are some problems with this statement put out by some of Ilhan Omar's fellow Democrats, who once again are way too eager to throw her under the bus.

1. I read Omar's tweet. She never equates Israel and the US with Hamas and the Taliban. I have been following Rep. Omar since she was elected to Congress, and have found that every time the Dems throw her under the bus it's for words they put into her mouth. Same thing here.

2. The statement is factually incorrect. It says that the US and Israel are at times "worthy of critique", but, in actuality, unequivocal criticism of Israel is never allowed except in a "ya but" way. As in: maybe Israel went a little too far "ya but" Israel has a right to defend itself. Such "critique" amounts to no critique, but it is the only one allowed without being attacked as anti-Semitism.

3. Apparently, Omar's colleagues didn't contact her first for "clarification", but released this instead. I am sure they are aware of the kinds of death threats she receives. This sort of thing isn't helpful. With friends like these....

I had a post not long ago about how I have given up on the Democrats. They pull crap like this frequently enough to reinforce that position.

@RepAuchincloss, @RepTedDeutch, @RepLoisFrankel, @RepJoshG, @RepElaineLuria, @RepKManning, @RepJerryNadler, @RepDeanPhillips, @RepKimSchrier, @BradSherman, @RepDWStweets

We urge Rep Omar to clarify her words placing the US and Israel in the same category as Hamas and the Taliban pic.twitter.com/KfcnmpLRO6

— Rep. Brad Schneider (@RepSchneider) June 10, 2021

Update: Color Me Skeptical

 Bernie Sanders was the only Democrat in the Senate to vote against the "China Bill". 

Color Me Skeptical

This article in today's NY Times leaves me quite puzzled. They can weasel all around it all they want, but this indeed is picking winners and losers. Don't some of these semiconductor and chip companies already make a ton of profits? And like the article suggests, tech industry sharks will be circling the waters for more handouts, just like companies did for coronavirus "relief". Looks a lot like the typical public investment followed by privatized profits. Whenever politicians tak about making investments and turning them over to private companies so they can "create jobs", color me skeptical.

We Are in Trouble

This Substack piece by Timothy Snyder describes a scenario of very high probability in 2024. What he describes is precisely what was attempted in the 2020 election and only failed because the right people were not in place to accomplish it. With the election laws being passed and considered in various states, the correct people will now be in place to ignore and overturn the 2024 election if that is what is needed to seat a Republican president in 2025.

The vote against the 1/6 Commission by almost every Republican shows us that the entire party is on board for this scenario, not just Trump. And the fact that the Democrats seem unwilling to address this issue bodes very ominously for the future of this country. SCOTUS will not save us.

The scenario then goes like this.  The Republicans win back the House and Senate in 2022, in part thanks to voter suppression.  The Republican candidate in 2024 loses the popular vote by several million and the electoral vote by the margin of a few states.  State legislatures, claiming fraud, alter the electoral count vote.  The House and Senate accept that altered count.  The losing candidate becomes the president.  We no longer have "democratically elected government."  And people are angry.

No one is seeking to hide that this is the plan.  It is right there out in the open.  The prospective Republican candidates for 2024, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and Josh Hawley, are all running on a big lie platform.  If your platform is that elections do not work, you are saying that you intend to come to power some other way.  The big lie is designed not to win an election, but to discredit one.  Any candidate who tells it is alienating most Americans, and preparing a minority for a scenario where fraud is claimed.  This is just what Trump tried in 2020, and it led to a coup attempt in January 2021.  It will be worse in January 2025.