Donald Trump Did Not Fail Us, But...

This headline from an April 19, 2019 op ed in USA Today provided the inspiration for today's  rant:

Mueller report: Donald Trump failed us as commander in chief

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First, let me say unequivocally that I am no fan of Donald J. Trump. In fact, I believe he ranks quite high among the most vile and despicable people ever to walk the earth. However...

Donald Trump did not fail us as commander in chief. He was never interested in us. He was and is interested only in himself. As commander in chief he has acted exactly as everyone who has ever followed his career knew he would act.

Donald Trump did not fail us, but...

Any failure attributable to Trump and his administration rests squarely on the shoulders of Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Lindsey Graham, and the rest of the duplicitous, Republican sycophants who knew exactly who and what Trump was and nonetheless sold out - and continue to sell out - America for personal power and wealth.

Lowering The Barr

As I watched and listened to William "Shill" Barr rolling out his redacted version of the Mueller Report and rolling over the rule of law, this is what I saw.

My Fellow Progressives...

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Every adult knows that life consists of tradeoffs, that is, recognizing the difference between the real and the ideal and choosing the possible over the illusory pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

In politics the ability to make such choices is essential to winning elections. Barack Obama's reputation for pragmatism was rooted in that understanding. It allowed him to winaccomplish a great deal, even if it was not as much as he or we had hoped for.

Nancy Pelosi's success in advancing progressive legislation in the face of a hide-bound conservative opposition consists entirely of pragmatic choices, and she certainly realizes that alienating one third of the electorate (i.e. those who self-identify as moderates) by publicly embracing a hard-left agenda will hand the election to Trump and shrink the big tent Democratic party into a left-wing version of Trump's MAGAT-infested base.

So, my fellow progressives, stop acting like spoiled brats shouting "But I want!" and work to win the election instead of drawing red lines that play into Trump's hand.

Mob Rule vs. Mob Rule

As the Founding Fathers wrestled with creating a constitution to replace the ineffective Articles of Confederation, one of their greatest fears was mob rule. These men were truly interested in creating a stable government, but they were primarily members of an elite minority of wealthy land owners and merchants who feared the common people (demos in Greek and the root word of democracy), who outnumbered them.

To protect their positions of privilege and wealth from the mob, they created a republic instead of a democracy. Their choice was based on the belief that an assembly of honest, educated, elected representatives like themselves could and would temper both the inevitable, wild swings in public opinion characteristic of the uneducated mob and also mitigate their own self-serving tendencies and instincts. 

It was a good plan, and it worked well for over two hundred years.

Unfortunately, the Founding Fathers could not foresee a time when the elected representatives would sell out the country and the Constitution for personal gain and support a would-be dictator hell bent on replacing representative governance with mob rule of the type practiced by the Mafia.

Race, Wealth, and the 14th Amendment

Q: Do race and wealth matter in a country that claims to guarantee equal protection under the law?
A: In today's America, you bet your * they do!

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Conversing Effectively with Trump Supporters

Don't try to engage Trump supporters in conversations based on critical thought, and don't expect them to follow a logical argument, let alone accept its conclusion. Doing so is like trying to teach algebra to a goldfish.

Instead, keep in mind with whom you are speaking and try to come up with a way to say something that might actually make a difference.

This short story provides an example of how such a strategy works.

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😎

Republicanism and The Reality of Our Economy

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Unions brought us the 40 hour work week as well as retirement at 60 with a pension. Education created a middle class capable of questioning the underpinnings of our social order.

"The reality of our economy" is that it was designed and works to benefit those with the most wealth by exploiting those with the least wealth.

Most people are familiar with the "buy low; sell high" principle. However, most people don't understand that the prime commodity bought and sold in our economic system using this principle is people, more specifically, the skills and labor of people. As a result, unions and education are threats to "the reality of our economy" for both give the people power to bargain for a better deal.

In America, the Republican party is dominated by the wealthiest among us. Is it any wonder that it has worked and continues working to destroy both unions and education?

To maintain the buy low; sell high basis behind the reality of our economy, Republicans introduce so-called "Right to Work" legislation, which guts the prime commodity's bargaining power under the pretext of protecting freedom of choice. To create a new, "separate but equal" education system designed to educate the well off and train the masses, they limit funding for public education and promote using tax revenue to support private and charter schools.

I believe this cartoon captures the Republican view of an ideally structured economy and makes the strongest possible argument for Americans to re-evaluate their worth in the reality of our economy and oppose those who treat them as a commodity to be exploited.

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