Biden's Last Chance

 Palestinians continue to die under Israeli bombs and from lack of food, shelter and health care. Kamala Harris as President may follow a different course than Biden has taken, but the election is still months away. How many people will die in Gaza before then?  Surely, it will be in the thousands if there is no ceasefire.

One thing to bear in mind is that Biden is still the President.  Harris can express discomfort at the situation, but Biden is in a position to do something about it, and he himself has nothing to lose by taking action. It would be a chance for him to erase some of the stain on a record of accomplishment in regard to many domestic issues.

Animatronic T-Rex

 

The Odd Couple

 I'm talking about Margaret Hoover and William F. Buckley Jr.

First, this from PBS:

"About Firing Line

Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is a refreshing reprisal of William F. Buckley’s iconic PBS program, a smart, civil and engaging contest of ideas. The series maintains the character of the original, providing a platform that is diligent in its commitment to civility and the rigorous exchange of opinion."

and:

 

Describing Buckley's version of Firing Line as "a smart, civil and engaging contest of ideas" is just pure fantasy.  During Hoover's program there is always a clip from Buckley's performance on the original Firing Line, and that shows nothing but Buckley's always snide attitude toward everyone and every issue.

The question that immediately comes to mind in watching Hoover's version of the program is how "an author, feminist, and gay rights activist" can permit herself to be seen as having some kind of intellectual or political connection to Buckley.

I watched the original Firing Line pretty often in the '60s and '70s.  I was always put off by Buckley's snooty demeanor, but I was not really aware at the time of his deep connections to far right politics.  A thorough examination of those connections was provided recently in an article in The Nation by Robert Sherrill.  Here is just the beginning:

If it is true that the evil men do lives after them, William Francis Buckley can be assured a certain kind of immortality. Or perhaps it is going too far to say that he did evil. That is probably too active a word. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he lived off evil, as mold lives off garbage.

The garbage he is particularly associated with is that which began accumulating in the right-wing alley about forty years ago: McCarthyism, which Buckley took part in by writing speeches for Senator Joe and by praising with majesterial clichés (“McCarthyism is a movement around which men of good will and stern morality can close ranks”); and the long-forgotten manifestoes of the Young Americans for Freedom, a frenzied campus movement which he helped found in 1960; and his pious defense of the kooks of the John Birch Society as “some of the most morally energetic self-sacrificing and dedicated anti-Communists in America.” In those days Buckley lent his name–as adviser or supporter or officer–to virtually every major crackpot right-wing movement in America, and his ideological soulmates were a group that long ago were banished to history’s padded cell: people like Maj. Gen. Edwin Walker, the Rev. Carl McIntire, Dan Smoot, Dr. Fred Schwarz, Revilo P. Oliver, the Rev. Billy James Hargis, James L. Wick and similar names, which, if you are a genteel person under the age of 45, have probably never passed your lips.

Read the whole article. 

Biden is Out

 

Joe Biden endorses Kamala Harris for Democratic nomination after ending re-election bid (The Guardian)

Damage Control

 One New Mexico Senator and one House Democrat have called for Biden to step down.
 

Bernie and AOC have chosen to support Biden in exchange for some campaign messaging they like, and which may make Biden more palatable to younger voters.

Some big money donors are reportedly threatening to withhold their big bucks, not only from Biden's campaign, but also from those further down the line who support Biden's continuing with his candidacy. If true, that could be the deciding factor.

The headline at The Nation is "Kamala Harris for President".

Nancy Pelosi is reportedly in favor of an "open convention", apparently signaling less than enthusiastic support for the current Vice President to step up.

In the media. the names of a gaggle of governors are being mentioned, with Newsom and Whitmer leading the pack.

Newsom has made himself somewhat unpopular in his own state.

Whitmer, according to her recent book, is playing the long game.

Biden is either slightly or significantly behind Trump in the polls. The pretenders seem to be in that same boat at the moment.

There is an article in Saturday's Albuquerque Journal headlined: "Biden says he'll return to campaign next week". It is next to the Obituaries.  Maybe not a coincidence.

UPDATE 7/22/24:

• Pelosi  has fully endorsed Harris.
• Obama, Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries  are still sitting on their hands.

and at The Intercept:

Biden Should Have Quit Over Gaza, but His Exit Could Be an Inflection Point
Prem Thakker
    Kamala Harris is less burdened by Biden’s disastrous support for Israel’s war, sparking some hope in pro-Palestine advocates.

The Real Joe

 I think a lot of people hold two rather incompatible views about Biden.  On the one hand he is seen is an old guy who isn't doing badly for his age.  On the other, he is stubbornly sticking to a course that will tank his legacy and doom the country.

Some insight into how the second assessment is the correct one are to be found in a Guardian Article, 

We Learned Everything We Needed to Know About Biden in 1988.

The concluding paragraph:

"... But Biden appears to have failed to heed a lesson his mother imparted to him, according to Cramer: “The most important was: tell the truth, and do what you promised.” Biden in 2020 promised to be a “bridge” or “transition” candidate, reportedly telling his advisers he wouldn’t seek a second term, and now is failing to face—and tell—the truth about his obvious cognitive decline, about his historically low approval rating, and the widespread view among voters that he should step aside. The world at 81 years old looks very different from when he was 44, and his deep-seated character traits now have hardened into something quite different. His gritty determination looks like blind obstinacy, his boundless belief in himself seems like arrogant self-regard, and his attempt to bend the world to his will appears like a delusion of grandeur."

Low Rider

 

News from Slashdot.org

 Speed Limiters Now Mandatory In All New EU Cars

"Cars have been able to figure out when they're speeding for a while, thanks to GPS as well as traffic sign recognition, and they've also been able to pump the brakes automatically when needed. Having a computer automatically slow down a car in response to posted speed limits, therefore, was not really a question of technical feasibility for some time -- but mandating it has been a question of political will. That political will has materialized in the European Union, and starting July 7 all new cars sold in the EU will feature intelligent speed assistance (ISA) systems..."

 The EU law will leave it to manufacturers how to respond to the speed-awareness of the new cars; that will allow a range of possibilities from alerting the driver to automatically initiating speed reduction.  So, probably not a guarantee of any drastic reduction in speed-related incidents, but a start at least.

The EU law points to the fact that currently available technology opens up a lot of possibilities.  They are probably not as great as is implied by every TV police procedural which seems to enable law enforcement to instantly monitor the location of any car on the road. However, there are some more modest possibilities which could make life in cities a bit more bearable.

One possibility would be monitoring of horn honks. There are times when a slap at the horn is an important resource for avoiding collisions or worse, but those events are pretty rare. A reasonable standard might be to allow everyone three or four free honks. On the fourth or fifth honk, the recorded infraction might generate a small fine -- say a dollar.

The next honk could double the fee, and so on.  A dashboard display could provide immediate feedback.  When the fee got up to around $100, perhaps the car's engine could by rendered incapable of speeds over 30mph. Or, maybe a requirement could be transmitted to the MVD when license renewal is due to test the horn-happy for psychopathology.

Dementia or Demagoguery

 What a sad dilemma the two major political parties have presented us with. The most revealing news about the situation seems to be the reported withdrawal of support for Biden by a couple billionaires.  Trump's billionaires seem still to be happy with their choice.

The nail in the coffin of U.S. Democracy was the Supreme Court's 2010 decision in the Citizen's United case.

As is often the case, Robert Reich and I are on the same page:

"... The fact is, only one small group of people in the US has the power to push Joe Biden out of the race. Who are they? The major donors to the Democratic party...

... In truth, the Democratic party is little more than a national fundraising machine, as is the Republican party... "

Looking for Light at the Tunnel's End

 Election results in France and Great Britain provide a couple bright points in an otherwise dark present.  The French fended off a right wing takeover of the government.  The Brits turned the page on fourteen years of a conservative created disaster which included Brexit.  So, it is encouraging that there are places still where sanity survives.

While the U.S. thus has some places to look at for inspiration going forward, the likely future still looks very threatening.  It can't surprise anyone that Trump has gained significant ground in the polls.  Biden, of course, is at the center of concern, but it has to be admitted that the current situation is not just on Biden's back.

The Democratic Party is dysfunctional.  The issue of Biden's competency did not suddenly appear out of nowhere, but must have been very obvious to party insiders for a long time.  Some are speaking out now, but it seems too late now to turn around the damage, and even putting up Kamala or someone else seems likely to cause as many problems as might be solved.  

That said, it still seem to me to be worthwhile to find someone other than Biden to confront Trump.  Even though the Democrats are likely to lose in November, at least they would have the needed motivation and a chance to address the fundamental weaknesses of the party and the country's flawed democracy.

Dinner

 We celebrated our 54th at Scalo's, an Italian restaurant on Central Av.  in Albuquerque.

Looking Back, Thinking Ahead

 People who think Biden, after his disastrous debate performance, still has a chance of prevailing in November need to take a look back at 2016.  Hillary Clinton was not old or mentally compromised and she was a sharp debater.  She was not my preferred candidate, but I voted for her and thought there was no way the country would accept Trump as President; he was just as awful as he is now and he ran with the same platform he is pushing today.  In spite of that, and the fact that Hillary won the popular vote by 2.7 million, Trump triumphed.

Given Biden's determination to stay in the race it seems prudent now to formulate some strategies for resistance after Trump again occupies the White House.  Priorities need to be established based on threat levels for specific groups and leaders need to be identified and supported.

After the Storm