If We Must Die

Smithsonian

There is a fine remembrance today in the Dailykos by Denise Oliver Velez about the bombing on Sept. 15, 1963 of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.  The article includes a marvelous poem by Claude McKay.

With Trump about to descend on Albuquerque on Monday, reading the article would be a useful preparation for New Mexicans to reflect on the history and origins of much of Trump's support as well as the trajectory of his administration.

Overrated Electability

I haven't yet seen the charts about the audience for the third debate, but I'll guess that the numbers tuned in after the first hour plummeted.  Three hours of sound bites is just way too much.  Still, there were some revealing moments and all the candidates managed to make some substantive contributions.

Biden was feisty and loquacious, topping the list for most words spoken.  It seems likely, however, that the only real advantage from that approach was to deny a bit of time to his opponents.  Biden's plans for moving the country forward are unconvincing -- lacking the depth, detail and conviction of most of the other candidates.  He keeps hammering on his connection to the Obama administration while ignoring the fact that Obama chose him as VP because he was unlike Obama -- chosen for his appeal to those Democrat leaners who were vaguely uncomfortable with Obama's race and mildly progressive agenda.

Biden looks physically in good shape standing next to Bernie.  However, Bernie never misses a beat in his delivery, while Biden is constantly struggling to hold on to the thread of his thoughts.  He gropes for words and compensates with inappropriate fill-in terms such as the howler about advising parents to have their children listen to record players.  The reference to curing cancer is a trope going back to the politics of the 1950s; I recall it being common in many campaigns of that era including Nixon's.

In spite of all of the above, Biden could hold on to his lead.  He might even achieve the presidency.  The result of that would be an administration that would be little more than a placeholder for the next demagogue.

The Day After

There has been a lot of discussion in the media over the past week about 9/11, and what happened and how people reacted to the event.  I was thinking today about the day after 9/11.  What changed for me on that next day was the beginning of an obsession about watching the news of the day to get some idea of what was coming next.  Eighteen years later I find myself still in the grip of that hypervigilant awareness.  I check the news many times a day to find out what kind of threat is imminent or in progress.  All too often I find something concerning, sometimes something horrendous like the murder of school children.  In most cases, however, the perpetrators are not some foreign enemy, but American citizens.

The Dem Debate

I'm looking forward to Thursday's debate by the ten Democratic candidates.  Could be a game changer as everyone will be looking to peel off some of Biden's support.  But, three hours?  That is going to take a real marathon effort.  I usually get some help from the team at fivethirtyeight.com with their running commentary on the debaters' performances.  I wish I had that kind of mental agility.  I'm wondering what other strategies people have for sticking it out to the end?

6:00 PM Mountain Time!

Can Trump Ever Do Anything Right?

It seems like the odds are against it.

A lot of people will be pleased by the firing of John Bolton, who as a national security adviser clearly posed a danger to humanity.  It seems that the best thing Trump can be credited with, however, is correcting the mistake of hiring a right wing ideologue to occupy a position that demands unclouded objectivity.  The conclusion is also inescapable that both the hiring and firing had nothing at all to do with Bolton's capabilities and judgment and everything to do with Trump's need to be at the center of uncritical attention.

In regard to the circumstances surrounding Bolton's dismissal it is also clear that Trump bungled what he saw as a great opportunity to be at the center of an historic deal in the ending of the eighteen year conflict in Afghanistan.  It appears that an agreement had been largely hammered out by the diplomats and all that was really needed to complete the deal was an announcement that would sit comfortably with all parties including the Afghan government.  Instead, Trump went for grandstanding at Camp David, which wasted the opportunity as well as losing support even in his own party.

So, while there may be an outside chance that Trump could stumble into doing something to benefit the country and the world, the likelihood of his turning any scenario into a disaster through his narcissism and unpredictability is just too great to tolerate.

Smithsonian Mag

"A Well Regulated Militia"

The NRA version:

Let him play

I see some criticism in the media about Trump playing golf while the country faces multiple emergencies including mass shootings and hurricanes.  That seems short sighted to me.  I say keeping him out on the greens and away from the White House as much as possible is much to be desired.  Whacking around a little ball will help him release some frustration and lessen opportunities to meddle in things he clearly doesn't understand.  Now if we can just figure out a way to take away his cell phone...