The GOP Is Drifting Anchorless ...But That's The Way They Like It

 

The Perched Eye blog is 14 years old,  from 2009 with President Obama's election. Our focus has been eclectic ...  the styles and directions of American politics and culture, with an occasional comment on the impact of new technologies. Our observations sometimes attract a critical eye, but the 'pen' remains unblunted.

To me, the following thoughts help to explain the current GOP. One can write extensively about these and other GOP foci, but primarily, America's GOPERs have put themselves out to Sea…but they like it (a scary thing.)

The GOP has become a marginal voting bloc that espouses radical, extremist, societally negative, marginal views that are often just nonsensical. Even worse, GOP'ers seem to recognize their aberrancy yet revel in their mud, reek, and wallow. Leaving the rest of America to clean up their slop (Orwell is cringing, ‘I warned you’…’ ”1984".)

Visibly (check out any GOP gathering), the GOP is an anomalous, societally harmful “phenomenon” — a politico-socio ‘glitch’ that is destructive and does not add real value to America except to provide a (fragile) outlet to a homogeneous minority of dissatisfied citizens…who if they didn’t have the GOP would actively engage in terrorism, insurrection (proven) and other acts to upset civil peace and destroy democratic government.

Why is the GOP so recalcitrant, risible, and apparently living on a knife edge of committing acts of mayhem…even self-harm, or at least operating against their best interests? Here are three principal reasons:

First, GOPERS themselves don't seem to know the real cause of their dissatisfaction…but the main root appears to be “Change” or “Different-from-us”…of any kind..as long as it gives them an apparent cause to ‘Vent.’ GOPER ‘Venting’ is so satisfying…the 21st century version of lynching,..Y’all.’

Second, GOPERS have found anchor posts to fixate on as destroying their concept of ‘Normalcy’ — these anchor posts seem chiefly to be :

1/ Racial integration (legally begun in 1954 and 1964, but operating in reality (the so-called “Color Line” being a VERY POROUS but one-way street… since the 1600s with white male sexual exploitation of Black slave women…and even tacitly existing today;

2/ Ascendancy of even white women (the 1920 vote);

3/ Legitimization of the LGBTQ communities and their rights (“Closet Life” for those biological realities is close to ending for most of America.)

One can go on and on, and write many theses about these and more reasons that possibly explain the current GOP, but as stated in the beginning of this post, the current GOP is a crazy bunch...but they seem to like living in that world...SCARY.

Hannity as Today's Goebbels?

The recent (April 16, 2018) unveiling (here , here, here, and my favorite, Rachel Maddow's analysis and readings of court proceedings that unveiled Hannity) of Sean Hannity as the previously 'cloaked' (hidden) 3rd Client of mob-connected, Trump (and RNC) Fixer of embarrassing situations is highly embarrassing to Dedito (Trump) and the Republican Party whose national deputy chairs all are now seen to be linked by a common thread. That common thread looks to be confined to making relations with former porn stars and models go way ...by payoffs perhaps with political campaign money, suspect non-disclosure agreements and thuggish night-visitations with threats of bodily harm.

This is surreal comedy on one hand, but the descent into the murk gets really dark when Russian intelligence (the Fixer-Lawyer Cohen's cigar buddies) join the scene. And to take it all to the bottom, Dedito's (slavish bootlicking of Russia and especially Putin's ego) looks really like not only does Dedito know Putin more than what America, or Trump's wife, would like, but it's becoming more clear by the day that Putin has Dedito not only by his little twisted fingers but his little cojones.

The picture coming out, to this blogger, is of a masterful scheme to break America by gaining control of America's constitutional estates - the chief executive by Constitution (but which has morphed into an infallible kingship in the minds of many Americans especially the religious right), the courts (the obstructions of Obama appointees by the Republican Congressional majority), the press (thru the 'hard-right' media with entertainers like Sean Hannity, and with hard right media entertainment 'news' like Fox News), and ultimately a completely clueless, amoral, profiteer con artist President, Trump ('Rico Dedito' aka 'Little Fingers Going Down on Racketeering'.

How did this crew gain the White House? By Collusion...but the colluding parties get more numerous and ominous in extent, influence and total subjugation to a master scheme probably set in motion 20 years ago and controlled at least largely by Russian leader, shadow-not-really-defunct KGB master, GRU boss, Mafioso Don, Vladimir Putin. And there are probably more, but less visible mega-players at work. And everything at play is dancing to the script of a master playright (s) whose identity may never see sunlight.

And Hannity's role? He claims not to have used Cohen (Trump's off-and-on Fixer and a guy with 3 clients) and says he might have thrown "ten bucks" now and then to Cohen...and knowing how the chief wise guy, Trump, telegraphs his moves, Hannity probably did give ten bucks to Cohen to satisfy a legal 'show', 'see, I paid him for telling me where to buy the best lawnmower'...for my condo high rise apartment. Meaning? The conversation was all about transfer of communication having nothing to do with legal SERVICE... but much to do with passing instructions and coordinating messages to and from Hannity and his world of hard-right Putin-puppets, and Trump's camp. How else was/is Trump to know what to say, when and how? Think about it, 'Ten Bucks' keeps things nice and friendly ...'don't it Mr Mueller, please'?

https://pics.me.me/onali-rump-trump-can-gra-there-its-fixed-trump-hannity-7939732.png

Election 2016: More On Trump - Who, What And Why (And Trump's Angry White Males Who Don't Need to Remain Angry)

Trump...Trump..trump...trump (clumsy, callous, 'mow em down' brutality of words, Asp-quick and cobra-venom of wit)...here he comes...run for your lives just about everyone who is not of a certain demographic - white male working class/blue collar/tea party...(but including Sarah Palin who is her own personal demographic).

Point by Pericles21 to be made further down:

it is likely that Trump is not leading a movement but is 'surfing' a socio-economic swell of disaffection that already existed for decades but just needed a channel (demagogue) to curl and break. Trump is that demagogue. But Trump just might wake up one morning (like the English Labour Party's quick backing away from it's 'Leaving' support only 4 days after the Brexit referendum) and realize that he is not really in control of his 'own' movement and that he could be run over and shoveled aside like road-kill when he becomes a known factor and, consequently, boring. Further, Trump's main constituency - disaffected, white male, working class, self entitled but job-threatened - have reasonably and with savviness found mutual, real sharing of self-interest in Bernie Sanders (thus refuting the lie about their lack of intelligence) Hopefully. Trump's base will find their new home in Elisabeth Warren, who Pericles21 champions as someone whose integrity and message are what America needs.

To be blunt,'Trumpism'is an American phenomenon - a pornography of the ego, typical American 'candy' - that appeals to the very large American population sector that has for several decades suffered serious ego-damage by loss of jobs through outsourcing, loss of real wages and a fair share of income and wealth ('inequality')and just being ignored. America has for decades abandoned the founding principle of the Common Good and turned the Constitution upside down from the rule of law, 'Lex Regis', to become in Trump, 'Rex Legis', the king is law. -

This post was drafted a week ago but things are happening fast in the world, beginning in Europe with the June 23 UK referendum vote for the UK to leave the European Union. This is not a total surprise, but it is unexpected because economically the expectation is that Great Britain will suffer. Also, 'Leaving' doesn't appear to be in the best interests of the constituency most strongly supporting 'Leaving - the working class, the older and the less well-off who live outside the major urban hub of London - the statistics show the radically different degree of support between 'town and country', 'heeled and working' and of course the old 'them and us' racial divide. All of this was barely under the surface, with occasional outbreaks but constantly seething emotions regarded as just the hardly-quaint inability of certain neighborhoods (e.g., Brixton) to adapt to modern multi-culture, multi-nation cooperatives all based on supposedly mutual economic advantages. But, of course, as we have been jolted awake to recognize in the past several years, the vast bulk of economic advantages have gone to the top 5% of every population on the planet. In summary, the referendum paints a picture of Great Britain as a divided union that has been divided since the end of the second world war around 1945.

Why did the referendum turn out the way it did? The better question might be, 'Why did it take this long for the truth about England's ill-at-ease attitude to ward joining the European Union to come to a head? The answer is the referendum outcome is the culmination of a long-recognized drift towards a new global nationalism (Economic Jihadism) that threatens to break apart the European Union - additionally 5 to 7 other Eu countries might be expected to join England's exodus - along with similar disaffections in other treaty arrangement, and return that the planet to a kind of neo-colonial assemblage of distrusting trans-continental princedoms.

'Brexit' has happened. Ostensibly, England (and the rest of the United Kingdom) will proceed to implement June 23'rds referendum mandate to unlink from the European Union and go search for the holy grail of recovering Great Britain's (or at least working class England's) national virginity. This is not too much of an exaggeration and so is the resemblance to America's 'Trumpism' as revealed by the personal-declared alliance between Donald Trump and the assumed next Prime Minister - the right wing, super nationalist, Boris Johnson. Trump has also declared that part of his mission is to recover America's 'Greatness'.

Why is Brexit addended to this post? Because a possible Trump Presidency may mirror what will happen in the UK now that the 'voice of the people' has voted and prevailed.

So let us all pay careful attention to what will happen over the next few weeks in Great Britain. Will there be an 'exit contagion' of a copy-cat sort that will lead Scotland and Northern Ireland (who overall favored remaining in the EU) to leave Great Britain (i.e., leave formal ties with England who is now revealed as having a distinctly different national outlook on being a member of the EU)? Or will Scotland and Northern Ireland cast their lot with independence from the UK and remain with the EU?

What does this 'New Nationalism' movement have to do with Trumpism? The path of nationalism in England, and the potential break-up of te United Kingdom, may foretell the disruption that may occur in America resulting from a totally self-focused, self-centered Trump foreign policy and domestic primitiveness, a new Isolationism.

But back to Donald Trump.
'Trump' is a kind of anti-heroic villain. He is the natural spawn of an un-natural, sinful, evil, inhumane culmination of a century of rabid, run-wild, limitless greed and exploitation put upon the American people by Big Bucks interests and their puppets - bought and sold Washington politicians and leeches of both political parties.

A century of ripping off America - and principally America's working citizens - has resulted in a huge socio-economic imbalance of wealth and income. Currently 5% of American's population owns or earns as much as the other 95%. We have experienced three decades of declining real wages for working Americans. There has been a steady loss of sustaining manufacturing jobs because of off-shore outsourcing to cheap labor markets. Overall, with the rush to greater profits and no countervailing resistance to abandonment of common Americans in the 'lower'95%, there has been an overt, undisguised neglect of the Common Weal. This neglect is reflected in the erosion and abandonment of common weal principles - substantive work, access to education and health ('Obamacare' the only bright exception to this trend)...it goes on in sad, embarrassing sameness, example after example of rampant, capitalist greed and the raping of America - it's resources and people.

But here comes a hero, it seems, of the down-trodden. Trump the billionaire capitalist. 'What?' Billionaire? Isn't he the epitome of who and what has killed the American spirit and social contract? Yes, he is the epitome but he is still the hero of his class's antithesis.

But perhaps the most striking aspect of Trump is he doesn't hide anything but the truth. In other words Trump lies, or rather he 'mis-states' but without apology or offering self-corrections - and somehow, this sits pretty well with his constituency, the mostly male, white and working class American. Trump's message seems to be a 20016 version of McCluhanism where the medium is a given venue of the message but now the 'message' is not the words but how they are spoken. Trump's 'message' is not his words but the emotion and volume of his presentation...and his presentation and anger - even if his anger is mostly off-the-mark and (underneath it all) not serving the best interests of his white male, working class constituency - appears to be unscripted and genuine.

'Unscripted and Genuine' Are these tow attributes of Trump so rare in current America that what Trump's words say or not is just not that critical? Look at the picture. There is a billionaire, trust fund baby, having (apparently) made it bigger, leading a working class movement, although admittedly racist-driven in part. Why do Trump's supporters follow his lead so eagerly and strongly?

The answer is likely that Trump is not leading but is 'surfing' the swell that already existed but just needed a reason (demagogue) to break. Trump just might wake up one morning (like the English Labour Party's quick backing away from it's 'Leaving' support only 4 days after the referendum) and realize that he is not really in control of his 'own' movement and he is about to be run over and shoveled aside like road-kill.

In this respect, Trump has declared 'war' with the American media sector - and has offered them no quarter but to see it his way or get out of the way. Every lie, mis-statement and twisted curve of his psyche is laid open for all to see. And the Media and Democrats and alarmed Republicans indeed see it all. But wtf, it hasn't mattered one bit, Trump's aura protects him from harm and every arrow shot his way seems to look good leaving the bow but turns to dust as it nears his thick skin or is merely deflected straight back to the shooter.

Donald Trump is on the scene. The tension, the tension - it's 'Friday the 13th' every day now, but Trump is nastier, bigger and badder than Freddy ever was. And it will get nastier because the Republican party controllers who lost control are emerging from their cloudy confusion and weak-spined whining and are salivating in anticipation of the skullduggery tricks and dirty tactics they plan to dump on Trump at the Convention. 'Just wait' they are thinking, the GOP Convention will be the 'show of shows' for sure,...a shot-in-the-eye, kick-in-the-pants spectacle. But Pericles21 is betting that Trump and his thugs will turn the tables and complete the destruction of the Party. The Convention will be a debacle of violent emotions and violent retributions. And the worst of it will be a descent into Hell at the Convention will be what Trump's supporters want and will be proud of. The Trumpists need that kind of outlet for the rabid emotions Trump will generate as only he can.

But who, what and why is Trump?

A book review of Michael Kimmel's, 'Angry White Men: American Masculinity at the End of an Era' (2013, Nation Books)

This review is from Hanna Rosin's NYTimes review of Michael Kimmels Angry White Men: American Masculinity at the End of an Era (Nation Books, 2013)
Kimmel's 'AWM' doesn't offer solutions but it very adequately explains the 'why's' of angry white men and this brings a kind of relief - at with understanding assisted by Kimmel, least there might be a beginning to a solution and resolution. Personally, from reading between the lines written by the author, there seems to be a 'forgotten' segment of American society, i.e., white men and specifically working class and under-employed (economically poor) white men. I say 'forgotten' because while virtually everyone else (minorities and women of all races) was being 'freed' and brought into equality, white men as a collective profile were regarded as the reference point against which new freedoms were and still are) measured. But we forgot to 'release'(reprogram with understanding and support) white men from the social programming that had entrapped them into their self-entitled (and too often self destructive) corner to begin with. Instead, our media messages from film to television continue to reinforce the idea of privileged, all-powerful, king-of-the-hill, American white males as the only white male worthy of respect - this is almost a criminal misleading of younger white males who must grow up and function in a very different world from the simplistic ones portrayed in the media. This continuing media image leads to dysfunctional self-expectations and acting out from frustration and confusion that the media profiles and formulae for masculine 'success' don't work. We can hope that books like 'AWM' will lead to educating younger generations of white males how to exist (happily) as co-inhabitants in a new America.

Election 2016: Revisiting Hillary, Warren, Bernie and Trump - America Desperately Needs A New Governing Paradigm

Trump...Trump..trump...trump (clumsy, callous, 'mow em down' brutality of words, Asp-quick and cobra-venom of wit)...here he comes...run for your lives just about everyone who is not of a certain demographic - white male working class/blue collar/tea party...(but including Sarah Palin who is her own personal demographic).

Donald Trump is on the scene. The tension, the tension - it's 'Friday the 13th' every day now, but Trump is nastier, bigger and badder than Freddy ever was. And it will get nastier because the Republican party controllers who lost control are emerging from their cloudy confusion and weak-spined whining and are salivating in anticipation of the skullduggery tricks and dirty tactics they plan to dump on Trump at the Convention. 'Just wait' they are thinking, the GOP Convention will be the 'show of shows' for sure,...a shot-in-the-eye, kick-in-the-pants spectacle. But Pericles21 is betting that Trump and his thugs will turn the tables and complete the destruction of the Party. The Convention will be a debacle of violent emotions and violent retributions. And the worst of it will be a descent into Hell at the Convention will be what Trump's supporters want and will be proud of. The Trumpists need that kind of outlet for the rabid emotions Trump will generate as only he can.

First, let's cut right to the core - there has been a lot of proposing various candidate 'tickets' for both parties. As of June 16, it appears Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee for President unless, by some expected but not really likely drama from Trump's rivals-proved-Wimps, the Republican Party, succeeds in wrestling itself to the mat and excises Trump. What entertainment - a Republican convention where the GOP mauls itself mercilessly while onlooking Trump giggles offstage and takes the nomination anyway.

On the other hand, the Democratic Party seems to have a problem of another kind,..but still odd in its way - who perhaps is best to run as Presidential nominee along with Senator Elizabeth Warren as Vice President? The interesting point is that 'a priori', Senator Warren is the precursor item on the ticket. Senator Warren is the first consideration followed by a search for who can best complement her as President! 'Election 2016' is indeed turning out to be different. We may have Trump and all that might represent, and then we have strange tides under the Democrat ship.

So, the election picture is upside-down. We first start with Senator Warren, the real deal - genuine, 'you-get-what-you-see', articulate, really pissed off but communicating that without histrionics, deadly on point all the time, un-questionned integrity and believable. Then with that out of the way, we next ponder who will best complement Warren - will it be Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton? My point is 'what does this 'logic' tell us?'WHo really are we all agreed on is the best candidate for President?

Second, as for POTUS, there is an 'American Crisis' at hand that needs a new leadership paradigm different from past war-focused, testosterone-driven male presidents and the resultant chaos. Don't agree? Then just think about the 'why and what' is going on about Donald Trump who is the ultimate example of 'out-of-control' testosterone-powered strangeness and threat to darken America's political history. Trump's 'solutions' are ..'what?'...other than loud 'woofing'? Should Trump get into the White House, expect anything but real solutions to America's problems.

And 'what is current America'? America appears almost terminally lost, drifting and dis-functional. And too many Americans of both political parties share that opinion ...which is why we have the curious phenomenon where Trump and Sanders supporters are seen to be mutually exchangeable should either one drop out (Sanders) or be forced out (Trump), and where Hillary Clinton is termed by some as the voice of 'sensible, moderate Republicanism'.

Our oligarchist, facist-capialist economy has raped, plundered and ruined the planet and almost completed the same horror on the home front. War-making testosterone, ala Trump, has no real solutions. American needs to lick its self-inflicted wounds and heal.

Out-of-control Trump offers a nightmare future...but maybe Trump is the gross and nasty medicine America needs to hold its nose from and swallow.


Obama's election was a moment of 'now its your turn', American minorities of color. (Even tho, imho, Obama doesn't really qualify as an 'American' minority...he just coincidentally shares the same skin color of many home-grown African-Americans, but his social upbringing is not that of an African-American raised in the straight-jacket of American prejudice and discrimination towards African-Americans. Obama's african-american affiliation is a choice.)

America now, does not need to return to a business-as-usual postering, testosterone dripping (or pretending so) majority male icon (Trump).

America desperately, NEEDS a female POTUS, an intelligent individual with a female sense of 'making things right' and restoring America's social health and confidence...and world image. Senator Warren appears to have these qualities. But America does not need a restrictive, corsetted 'Thatcher', a 'wanna-be-alpha-male' who will strive to out-alpha her political rivals and colleagues. In all, Senator Warren appears to meet both sets of criteria.

Bernie Sanders is a kind of 'Alice in Wonderland' furry, be-hatted creature - well-intentioned and harmless but of what real effectiveness?

Hillary, on the other hand, appears to be un-furry but is she real or a retro Margaret Thatcher act about 40 years out of tune both politically and gender-wise. If Hillary is elected, she is urged to study the Thatcher years to avoid that model.

In this writer's mind, Senator Warren is the class of the Democratic Party's current two contenders despite her never having entered a primary. And she is just as qualified, if not more, than President Obama was when he ran, successfully, for President. The country has benefitted by Obama's steady hand at the tiller. Senator Warren can do that and she has the fire that was banked in Obama's style. Warren has shown she will not face away from Republicans and will call 'BS' on the Republicans whenever they roll out their blocking and do-nothingness. And Warren will slipthe knife in with style and grace. America has work to do and needs to get moving...America needs a Warren, not a Trump who has figured out how to 'game' the working (now unemployed/underemployed) class, white American, lost-and-drifting, male.

The Democratic Party has high regard and respect for Hillary Clinton. The Democrat Party appears to have reserved for Hillary the woman whom the Party would like to reward as the first woman President of the United States. And Hillary appears to be much more qualified (experience-wise and by intelligence measure) than the apparent Republican Party candidate, Donald Trump. Still,among Democrats, there is a 'But factor' that is surfacing in the minds and discussion about this very critical and important 2016 election - Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is smoother than Mrs Clinton and appears to be more than Trump can handle, TV debate-wise and in the sticky, twisty corners of the social web, i.e., 'Twitter', etc..

'We' (the nation and especially Democrats) know Elizabeth Warren. We have witnessed her consistently high level of work in Washington as a new Senator and after the 2008 economic collapse as a special resource 'loan' from academia (Harvard). We know where she stands on national priorities, especially the economy and the interests of the 'lesser 99%'- the 'Common Good' interests of education, healthcare and especially equitable taxes on the rich and corporations to resolve the current vast and scandalous economic inequality between the upper 1% and the rest of the '99%' of Americans.

Elizabeth Warren appears to be custom-made for this challenge. The post by Pericles21:

Senator Elizabeth Warren seems to be the common, ‘wingman’ denominator in maybe everyone’s ideal presidential ticket — whether ‘Hillary-Warren’ or ‘Sanders-Warren’. Aren’t these associations messages of another reality about our assessment of Warren as a quality person, and when will it come to our minds that ‘President Warren’ makes sense?

However, in the thinking of Pericles21 (myself), there is another perspective to the Democratic Party's options regarding Senator Warren, and that is how best to utilize Senator Warren... if the Party chooses not to run her as the candidate for the Presidency. That is a challenge of choice. To my thinking, Senator Warren is not a resource to be wasted on the Vice Presidency who seems, with all highest regard and appreciation for Joe Biden's knightly service as Vice President (America should have this honorary title), to traditionally reside in the background of most things going on in every administration. (Probably the result of every President's alpha-male proclivity to 'rule the roost'.) Senator Warren should not be lost to America as anyone's closeted Vice President. (And likewise, I would not rest easy with Bernie Sanders experience, wisdom and skills lost to America in the choke-cloak of 'Vice President Sanders'.)

The resolution? Personally speaking, Warren must be 'run' (by the Party 'deciders', who decide all things at that level) as the Presidential candidate or be reserved, with continued stellar service, as a 'senior-qualified' Senator to 'ripen-on-the-vine' for a future presidential campaign...if the country survives because it appears, from the wild but not-completely-a-surprise popularity of faux-populist Trump, America is caught in an ice-flow towards a 'Niagra Falls' collapse of any remaining faith in the ability of the system to balance the scales and pay attention to long-overlooked, taken-for-granted needs of the 'common' citizen, that is to say, 99% of America and that's too high a percentage of Americans who are nearing terminal hurt.

Election 2016: The Next American President - America Badly Needs A Woman POTUS (And The Warren Factor)

This post responds to Leslie Salzillo's article on May 3, 2016 in the Dailykos website: "Elizabeth Warren on Donald Trump's Republican win: 'Here's what else is real...'.

First, let's cut right to the core - there has been a lot of proposing various candidate 'tickets' for both parties. As of May8, it appears Donal Trump will be the Republican nominee for President unless, by some expected but not really likely drama from Trump's rivals-proved-Wimps, the Republican Party succeeds in wrestling itself to the mat and excises Trump.

On the other hand, the Democratic Party seems to have a problem of another kind,..but still odd in its way: who perhaps is best to run as Presidential nominee along with Senator Elizabeth Warren as Vice President?

The election picture is kind of upside-down. We first start with Senator Warren, the real deal - genuine, 'you-get-what-you-see', articulate, really pissed off and communicates that without histrionics, deadly on point all the time, un-questionned integrity and believable. Then with that out of the way, we next ponder who will best complement Warren - will it be Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton? My point is 'what does this 'logic' tell us?'WHo really are we all agreed on is the best candidate for President?

Second, as for POTUS, there is an 'American Crisis' at hand that needs a new leadership paradigm different from past war-focused, testosterone-driven presidents and chaos. Don't agree? Then just think about the 'why and what' is going on about Donald Trump who is ultimate example of 'out-of-control' testosterone strangeness and threat to darken America's young political history. Trump's 'solutions' are ..'what'...other than loud 'woofing'? Should Trump get into the White House, expect anything but solutions to America's problems.

What is current America? America appears currently almost terminally lost, drifting and dis-functionional. And too many Americans of both political parties share that opinion ...which is why we have the curious phenomenon where Trump and Sanders supporters are seen to be mutually exchangeable should either one drop out (sanders) or be forced out (Trump).

Our oligarchist, facist-capialisteconomy has raped, plundered and ruined the planet and almost completed the same horror on the home front. War-making testosterone, ala Trump, has no real solutions. American needs to lick its self-inflicted wounds and heal. Trump can't do that...but maybe Trump is the bad-tasting medicine America needs to hold its nose from and swallow.


Obama's election was a moment of 'now its your turn', American minorities. (Even tho, imho, Obama doesn't really qualify as an 'American' minority...he just coincidentally shares the same color of many home-grown African-Americans but his social upbringing is not that of an African-American raised in the straight-jacket of American prejudice and discrimination towards African-Americans. Obama's african-american affiliation is more a choice.)

America now, desperately, NEEDS a female POTUS, an intelligent individual with a female sense of 'making things right' and restoring America's social health and confidence. Warren appears to have these qualities, and more ... in Aces.

Bernie Sanders is a kind of 'Alice in Wonderland' furry creature - well-intentioned and harmless but of what real effectiveness?

Hillary, on the other hand, appears to be un-furry but is she real or a retro Margaret Thatcher act about 40 years out of tune both politically and gender-wise. If Hillary is elected, she is urged to study the Thatcher years to avoid that model.

In this writer's mind, Senator Warren is the class of the Democratic Party's current two contenders despite her never having entered a primary. And she is just as qualified, if not more, than President Obama was when he ran, successfully, for President. The country has benefitted by Obama's steady hand at the tiller. Senator Warren can do that and she has the fire that was banked in Obama's style. Warren has shown she will not face away from Republicans and will call 'BS' on the Republicans whenever they roll out their blocking and do-nothingness. And Warren will slipthe knife in with style and grace. America has work to do and needs to get moving...America needs a Warren, not a Trump who has figured out how to 'game' the working (now unemployed/underemployed) class, white American, lost-and-drifting, male.

The Democratic Party has high regard and respect for Hillary Clinton. The Democrat Party appears to have reserved for Hillary the woman whom the Party would like to reward as the first woman President of the United States. And Hillary appears to be much more qualified (experience-wise and by intelligence measure) than the apparent Republican Party candidate, Donald Trump. Still,among Democrats, there is a 'But factor' that is surfacing in the minds and discussion about this very critical and important 2016 election - Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is smoother than Mrs Clinton and appears to be more than Trump can handle, TV debate-wise and in the sticky, twisty corners of the social web, i.e., 'Twitter', etc..

'We' (the nation and especially Democrats) know Elizabeth Warren. We have witnessed her consistently high level of work in Washington as a new Senator and after the 2008 economic collapse as a special resource 'loan' from academia (Harvard). We know where she stands on national priorities, especially the economy and the interests of the 'lesser 99%'- the 'Common Good' interests of education, healthcare and especially equitable taxes on the rich and corporations to resolve the current vast and scandalous economic inequality between the upper 1% and the rest of the '99%' of Americans.

Elizabeth Warren appears to be custom-made for this challenge. The post by Pericles21:

Senator Elizabeth Warren seems to be the common, ‘wingman’ denominator in maybe everyone’s ideal presidential ticket — whether ‘Hillary-Warren’ or ‘Sanders-Warren’. Aren’t these associations messages of another reality about our assessment of Warren as a quality person, and when will it come to our minds that ‘President Warren’ makes sense?

However, in the thinking of Pericles21 (myself), there is another perspective to the Democratic Party's options regarding Senator Warren, and that is how best to utilize Senator Warren... if the Party chooses not to run her as the candidate for the Presidency. That is a challenge of choice. To my thinking, Senator Warren is not a resource to be wasted on the Vice Presidency who seems, with all highest regard and appreciation for Joe Biden's knightly service as Vice President (America should have this honorary title), to traditionally reside in the background of most things going on in every administration. (Probably the result of every President's alpha-male proclivity to 'rule the roost'.) Senator Warren should not be lost to America as anyone's closeted Vice President. (And likewise, I would not rest easy with Bernie Sanders experience, wisdom and skills lost to America in the choke-cloak of 'Vice President Sanders'.)

The resolution? Personally speaking, Warren must be 'run' (by the Party 'deciders', who decide all things at that level) as the Presidential candidate or be reserved, with continued stellar service, as a 'senior-qualified' Senator to 'ripen-on-the-vine' for a future presidential campaign...if the country survives because it appears, from the wild but not-completely-a-surprise popularity of faux-populist Trump, America is caught in an ice-flow towards a 'Niagra Falls' collapse of any remaining faith in the ability of the system to balance the scales and pay attention to long-overlooked, taken-for-granted needs of the 'common' citizen, that is to say, 99% of America and that's too high a percentage of Americans who are nearing terminal hurt.

GOP Update - April 20, 2009

IMHO. The GOP appears to have settled down somewhat. The sideshows have lessened in intensity and wierdness: Steele, Bachmann, Limbaugh, Beck et al have shot their best it seems and have quieted a good deal. GOP steady heads are openly facing Limbaugh and are naming him for what he really is - an entertainer. Interestingly, the younger generation in the form of Megan McCain are presenting the most credible and appealing GOP face. Megan is urging the GOP to become current and in tune with current issues (gay and lesbian lifestyle, global warming). Realistically, it is important that the GOP get with it - the American two party system is a good one, and DEMS will not be in power forever. So, it is important to feel the GOP will be a sensible party with realistic ideas.

The GOP Today - Resigned, Near-Dead, But Still Tea Bagging...So, It Isn't all Bad, Right?

In the past month or so, the GOP world seems to this blogger to have settled down, and actually a good bit settled. But "settled" has a special meaning when describing the GOP: the GOP circus has not only lost some of its appearance of clowns on tricycles, but the GOP has largely disappeared from view. The GOP is simply moribund, gone, kaput, worn out...and all those descriptors of a group gone underground from embarassment and with nothing to say that is relevant, helpful or connecting with the public. The GOP congressional faction has seemingly resigned from participating in national government; but even that gesture has been futile with nearly universal mutiny of the ranks from the GOP line urging rejection of Stimulus help. A core of GOP governors, interestingly the poorest states in the union, even tried to resign from the Stimulus Program but their state legislators voted against such idiocy given the especially dire economic condition of the sedition-inclined GOP states. This association of the GOP stronghold with the poorest states is nothing to be proud of, but we can see the GOP trying even to make hay of that mal-linkage at the expense of poor people.

There is truly a perception that the GOP is working against itself despite all its effort to get things together. Charles Homan ("Culture Shock" in the conservative movement, Washington Monthly)aptly describes the spinning, out of control misfirings of the GOP as a mishapen version of former conservative elegance ala William Buckley:

"Operating forever in the shadow of National Review founder William F. Buckley Jr., they had spent half a century honing their rhetorical chops on the romantic notion that an argument, framed eloquently and forcefully enough, could change the course of history. Worse, these arguments tended to be advanced in right-wing publications that made little effort to attract a general audience, devolving into an exercise of limited interest to anyone not already locked inside the echo chamber."

I prefer less coddling words: the GOP is lost in a kind of political "mannerism" where they remember the postures but have lost any idea of the meanings and contexts of their awkaward and jerky mimicry of conservativeness. The result is the derangment of Limbaugh, the Innanity of Hannity, the Dreck of Beck, and Michelle Bachmann's stupid utterances accompanied with her really strange, vapid and pat-on-back-expecting-look-at-me-daddy false smiles. The GOP sputterings are not down-to-earth, nurturing oatmeal but dry sawdust and dull nails.

Right now,the only GOP action is a half-hearted call to insurrection, the New Tea Party movement. But as usual with the GOP these days, their knack for stepping ankle deep in nasty stuff and then gladly, gleefully, as if they are doing something terribly witty, shoving said covered foot deep into mouth, saw them lose all seriousness with the GOP talking head labeling of their own movement as "TEA BAG" event!!! OH MY!!! A reaching of new and atmospheric heights of silliness and cultural disconnect. OH MY, twice said!

(On second thought, for a sec, at least the GOP can claim they didn't know what TEA BAGGING means; but really... what occured was a kind of Freudian brain-fart, a confession of having perused rather risque material without a clue to what was going on. One can only imagine what other misinterpretations the GOP is guilty of. Maybe we were treated to an insight on the major problem with the GOP - they see really kinky stuff as normal, and interpret good stuff as the devil's work. This is terribly embarassing for them. It all adds up to a dischordant, disconnect with reality. A stumbling along with incoherent mutterings and occasional references to glassy eye of newt, bad unicorn horn and unpleasant dragon's breath. OH MY, again! And a "help them, Lord." (And help us get out from their insanity, too, while YOU are at it, please, and thank YOU.)

However, this Ship of Fools (GOP) must sail on; maybe they will eventually realize they are dead in the water because they forgot to raise anchor. Until then the GOP rows furiously only pausing their Sysiphian efforts to pat themselves on the back as the GOP vessel sits smiling at rest, dead in the water.

GOP Morphing: The Child Krohn - More to Come?

Today, for first time, I saw and listened to the GOP child-political-"expert", Jonathan Krohn (JK), via HuffingtonPost. 13 years old?!??! JK spoke at last week's Conservative Political Action (CPAC) meeting. One does not like to disrespect children who should evoke nurturing and similar positive responses, but JK comes off like a Bible Belt child preacher at a revival. Lingering weirdness after the vid. Regret peeking through that fence hole. But since I didn't put up Jonathan for adult examination, and considering the seriousness of the subject he speaks on, the economic crisis and conservatism, I have to desribe his effect as wonderment akin to listening to a trained parrot. Others write the same with better phrasing.

More the issue: is this how "unusual" (bad, strange,...) things are in the GOP? Are we to listen to and equate a sharp witted child to a George Will? Hardly. Are we to equate this child to a Russ (Limbaugh)?...Hmmm, well...maybe this works, indeed,..reversal of this logic leads to 'Limbaugh is just a witty child', am apt label, imho. But to be serious, are we to believe the depths of conservative political philosophy pondered over historical spans by learned adults have emerged in a child's voice at a revival tent venue, the CPAC conference? (Hmmm..Limbaugh the child again.)

(Miles of symbolic blank space here to transmit a loss for words, but here's a try.)

I think my unsettledness comes from suspecting the new GOP base takes this child seriously? It seems they do. I believe in and enjoy child prodigies in music, but life is not a set of instructional or compositional rules. Life is complex and subtle, at least to me, don't really know about you or others but I suspect you're all with me. Never heard of a child philosopher but i am not a student of philosophy. Name one child prodigy in oil painting...maybe there is one which raises the issue of what is art vs technique..on the other hand even elephants paint nowadays...let this go.

A clue to the JK appearance is as I posited in an earlier blog (Feb 26, this blog): to the GOP the child represents not a child but a label, in this case a label announcing the rural GOP tradition of the a religious spirit channel through the biblical voice of a child.

What further demonstrations: of spirit speaking, channeling, calling out, ....might come from GOP morphing contortions? Probably some prize winners will emerge, but to guess what's coming ....the cost to travel to that land of the imagination is too high(hangovers, etc).

As I posited in an earlier blog, the GOP is likely to take on unusual shapes as it morphs along to where ever it will end up (Feb 26, '09).

A third ring to the GOP circus is bound to come...maybe more...it's only March 1, '09.

Michael, Sarah, Boby, Joe, and Bachmann, too, Oh My

To the trio of stalwart GOP revolutionaries Sara, Bobby, Michael and Joe The Not-Plumber, let's add Michele-BaghdadBobbi-UBDM Bachmann (MBUB). The future is theirs, one imagines, not.

Michele is come to full bloom and is eager to demonstrate her miraculous trick of replacing reality with mere words, like her esteemed namesake Baghdad Bob, (former minister of Information, Iraq War 2). She will be a welcomed addition to the original GOP trio of fine feathered, red capped, revolutionaries.

Jindal, Palin, Steele, Volcanoes, Oh My

What is going on with the Republican Party? There is some serious high weirdness happening every minute with them. It just seems like the Repubs have lost it. The global evolution has run away from them and all they can come up with are racial insults, snickering and adolecent word play,"stop the train" feet dragging, or crazy ideas crafted to derail all of us.

One clue, the smart money Republican professional politicians started to voluntarily drop out of the re-election races a year ago. So much for serving the nation, but what did we think most Republicans were in office for anyway (joined by Illinois governors, sadly).

But the trio in the headline is too much. Choke. This crew is the happening, right now, in your face GOP? Like a slap with a wet kleenex! Hip Hop revolutionaries? And after Obama's great speech to the American people, Jindal minces down a dark hallway to mock volcano monitoring when for real, Alaska right now is waiting for the mother of volcano eruptions that just might kill thousands in Alaska, Japan, tidal waves across the Pacific...what absurd ignorance. What?

Jindal's speech (?) after Obama's address was like a sparrow trying to keep up with an eagle. And what was that, generously speaking, semi-slide, dance step Jindal showed as he ...jeez, this is embarrassing..twinkle toed down the hall to the microphone? WTF. Palin, Steele, Jindal. Jeez.

What is curiously shared by Jindal and Steele, both men of color, is how they manage to cozy up to out-and-out racists. In the campaign, Palin did her bit of cozying in the deep red belt, too, but Wasilla (Alaska, her home town)is rumored to be just a colder red belt, tweaker colony.

I dont like this move by the Repubs. One can disagree honestly with an opposing political view because one is afterall a believer in the principles of two party government. But it just seems like the Repubs have lost it. The global evolution has run away from them and all they can come up with is either insults, snickering and adolecent word play,"stop the train" feet dragging, or crazy ideas crafted to derail all of us. They have left empty seats at the table as they wander off, maybe smoking fake cigarettes out behind the barn. Did the real Repubs take off in silver seeds to nowhere, their time came and they're gone and left this crew behind?

Michael Steele, Hip Hop GOP? (Not), and the Party that Steals

Michael Steele(MS) proposes to steal hip hip nation, wanna bet. Steele steals. Stealing Steele. Steele the man of steel, not. Steely stealing Steele steals what's real. GOP hip hop make over? Hardly. GOP and Hip Hop.Not. Sparrows and eagles...both are birds but there are differences, maybe not noticed by those with special comprehension problems, like Repubs. Pickles and candy canes, get it? GOP is so ready to grab anything out of reach. All of this is so weird words flee, I have the same feeling. GOP. Old. Party, Not.