Saturday evening, just in time for the anniversary of D-Day today, President Joe Biden published an op-ed in the Washington Post explaining that his upcoming trip to Europe is part of a larger defense of democracy.
“Autocratic leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin, have said that democracy is obsolete and autocracy is the form of government that will dominate the future.”
Republicans have more in common with Xi and Putin than they do with us. Hmmmm
From the time I was a kid in the '50s it was stressed to me that one of the biggest differences between the US and the rest of the world (and particularly Russia) was that we Americans were above "The State".
In the US, the government did not exist externally to its people; here the people were the government! Nowhere else was that true... That "notion" that a government should be beholden to its people was the key idea that underscored the American Revolution and MADE it so revolutionary. It defines the "American Experiment".
For people who have such a treasure in their hands and then be willing today to trade it away to an autocracy dumbfounds me!
As it’s the anniversary of his untimely death, “I am opposed to communism as it exalts the state over the individual”-RFK
Russia still does this, while it exploits and steals from its people through the export of natural resources, then exporting the grifters profit, laundering it, and stashing it in foreign real estate and shady banks.
China does the same. It’s natural resource is human labor, and the profits go toward investments in oppression, surveillance, and building its military.
What is the American system once the middle class is gone?
That's the big rub isn't it. The Republicans are cannibalizing the middle class and therefore destroying capitalism as well as democracy. My kudos to Secretary Yellen. That will do more to stabilize the world economy and therefore allow it to grow than I could have imagined.
Time will come for the “Nuclear” option. ( I don’t like that term either. See how clever word smithing has a psychological effect? Republicans have, in pre fascist style corrupted the language. These are just rules to be set by the senate.
This is McConnell's role in all this. He made it his mission for Obama, and is duplicating his stance for Biden. Come hell or high water, one man is on a mission to sabotage the Democratic president.
We see the same picture. It isn't totally gone from the country but, for the most part, far from the Democratic Party. The Independents outnumber the Democrats, and they must be won over.
Fern, I think you are totally right. Win the independents first, in order to fix what is broken 2nd. A successful test of that strategy is pressure on Manchin and Sinnema in their home states. When that independent pressure is turned up on them or they are defeated by a middle ground but leaning progressive candidate. November 2022 is so critically important. ERghhhh. And waiting is no fun at all.
53 years ago tomorrow night. It seems like yesterday. I can remember exactly what I was doing when I heard the news, just like his brother, MLK, and John Lennon.
I remember seeing him in Union Square in SF the week before. "Some men look at things as they are and say, why? I look at things that never were and say, why not?"
Endorsed, apart from a single sentence: "Nowhere else was that true..."
Nevertheless, if this principle is so threatened today, it is because of mutual neglect on the part of elected officials and, above all, the people. And the deliberate neglect, indeed suppression, of the rights of minorities, especially those whose skin color is not “white”.
Here, I must, as a foreigner, add my bewilderment and horror at the continued indication in the US of “race” in official identity documents. A citizen is a citizen is a citizen—A Man’s a Man for a’ that!
Democracy is a living entity and its health, indeed its survival, depend on care and nurture by the people and their representatives.
R. Dooley has made very clear the role to be played by education in this process.
Gary, it is not enough to believe in the principles, then take them for granted. They must be consciously upheld by citizens—sisters, brothers. A lifelong duty.
I often wonder if they really understand the devastating consequences of what they are supporting. I know that there are several Republicans that have taken trips to Russia. For what exactly, I don't know, but you don't hear about Democrats yammering to get a seat at a high-ranking Russian diplomat's table. Is power and money the only motive for these authoritarian pursuers?
They go there because they are invited. Russia hosts all kinds of state sponsored right wing events, except pro gun. White supremist are paid to come and speak at conferences. White Evangelicals also. This is how Russia uses its State Department to foment discord in republicans rival counties.
"...a government should be beholden to its people was the key idea that underscored the American Revolution and MADE it so revolutionary. It defines the "American Experiment". - Then, enter the politicians.........
The biggest issue I see today is what to do with the coward Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia who insists on holding the nation captive till he gets a minority of Repubs to agree with Joe Biden's plans for America.
This is not a Democrat who is seeking to help the people of this nation. This is a person who is attempting to appease a minority of political interests who are only interested inn themselves. Joe has risked nothing to arrive at where he is today. A pocks on him. If he proclaimed he was a Repub, I could tolerate him. I would know his beliefs. He is an empty suit, a coward who has risked "nothing" to arrive at where he is today.
It is annoying that one person can hold a nation captive to their interests. A minority inflicting their harm upon a majority. A tyranny of a minority.
Yes, it’s astonishing how much power (misused) Joe Manchin is wielding. And not towards any good to move forward and onward. I’m guessing he feels that his position endears him to Republicans. And he will keep his job. So sad.
Don't many Republicans want these policies Biden is proposing especiallyHR1/S1 ? If this is true then Manchin is pandering to Republican legislators not even his constituents. Does that get him re-elected cause nowadays it seems our congress people only do things to get re-elected?
Rebecca's link from The Daily is worth your time to listen to if you are really interested in getting closer to knowing the how and why of Manchin. I'll repost it here:
Manchin asks in his editorial, "Do we really want to live in an America where one party can dictate and demand everything and anything it wants, whenever it wants?" Isn't that exactly what the "For the People Act" is trying to stop? And isn't that why ending the filibuster is even imagined?
Manchin asks in his editorial, "Do we really want to live in an America where one party can dictate and demand everything and anything it wants, whenever it wants?"
That, in fact, is exactly what Manchin is enabling McConnell and Republicans in Congress to do. How can he not see that!? (Rhetorical question, clearly he cannot or chooses not to do so).
I am sure Professor Heather has a greater in-depth knowledge of the filibuster than I.
I will recite what "I-believe" I know. It is said the "previous question motion" was eliminated at the suggestion of Aaron Burr who, as well as others, believed it was not needed because senators knew when to stop a debate and move on with a vote. A simple majority could pass a previous question motion and bring the bill to a vote. It worked until decades later when the filibuster was increasingly used to stall legislation. To get past the filibuster, a sixty vote minimum was used except for various instances as identified.
Senator Joe Manchin wishes an effort be made by Dems to drag reluctant Repubs to the table, negotiate, and agree to vote. The problem with this ploy is McConnell and now trump are threatening various Repubs who may vote with Dems with being campaigned against by the national party. McConnell is more of a threat on this than trump.
There are moderate Repub Senators who could vote with Dems such as "yank the football out of the way" Susan (Lucy) Collins, etc. but 10 appears to be a large number and there are no guarantees. We have no leverage and for all the forecasting of a great Dem take over of the Senate, we received very little in results other than a lucky, very lucky, surprise in Georgia.
If you remember for the PPACA, we had a holdout also in the form of the Senator from Aetna Joe Liberman who was the sixtieth vote to limit the debate. The bill had already been bantered around amongst the political Dem interests and the clock was ticking. Joe Liberman wanted the Public Option dropped for his vote, The Public Option disappeared.
The time it took to negotiate all these interests not only cost us a Public Option, with the death of Ted Kennedy we lost Medicare for All and Long term Care for the elderly. So yes, getting consensus is important; but, we must way the costs of doing so over the two years we have until the next election for Representatives and Senators. We could lose a majority again.
Clearly Manchin is straddling a very wide divide in an effort to keep his job. Would some other Dem be able to win that seat and be more Democratic? Or is the risk of an actual GOP person winning his seat a very real possibility?
Interesting to see what Manchin has in mind instead of S1:
"The Voting Rights Act...was monumental in the fight to guarantee freer and fairer elections in the United States. Since its original passage, it has been reauthorized with overwhelming bipartisan votes five separate times. In addition, there is bipartisan support to pass the latest iteration of this legislation, the rightfully named John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would update the formula states and localities must use to ensure proposed voting laws do not restrict the rights of any particular group or population."
If Plan A for S1 falls through, we need to gear up for a Plan B.
I listened to Morning Joe today and they discussed the fact that S1 was a very "broad" bill and that there are other Dems that do not support it, albeit "silently" so Manchin can take the heat. Also said that this bill covers way more than protecting voting rights (I will need to go back and re-read the bill to see what that is). So, maybe Joe needs to put his money where his mouth is and work with Dems in the House and Repubs in the Senate to craft a more "targeted" bill that will protect voting rights, and ESPECIALLY provide for no changing of results by partisans. While that may not give us all that we want, the house is on fire now. If we can get a smaller but targeted bill that gives us most of what we want, then Manchin will need to rally support. This needs to be done immediately as we cannot wait.
Morning, Liz. (It's now Tuesday, 2:00 am) Greg Sargent's column below dovetails pretty much what you say here. Lowering the vote count to 55 would be in keeping with what his mentor, Byrd, did years ago.
Thanks Lynell! I find it really interesting that Manchin is simply using the same verbiage as the Republicans when claiming that he is supporting democracy, with no acknowledgement of the history of the filibuster's original and real purpose, which was to obstruct the legislation that demands equity for non-white-men. Illuminating. He clearly thinks (or cynically doesn't believe this but uses it anyway) that Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is reality.
“Biden is dedicating his presidency to the defense of democracy.” Thank goodness. Hopefully he’ll also use this opportunity to influence the “on the fence” Democrats to support the For the People Act. It seems that democracy is crumbling before our eyes. Is this our only hope?
Governance by the people and the rule of law, or autocracy and edict? This is the question of these, our times. Like Winston Churchill said, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.”
European perspectives from the Washington Post's, Today's WorldView, provided a deeper sense of what Biden may face when he meets with the G7 this week. It rings more of wariness than enthusiasm.
'But elements of Trump’s trade war are still in place, while the Biden administration maintains pandemic-era restrictions on E.U. citizens traveling to the country even as the continent opens up to a legion of eager U.S. tourists. Experts see the fact that Biden has yet to name ambassadors to either NATO or to the European Union in Brussels as a sign of inattention from Washington. European commentators also recognize that, no matter Biden’s imminent bonhomie in London and Brussels, the United States increasingly views Europe at best as a junior partner in its intensifying competition with China.'
“Beyond all of the summitry and diplomatic attention, the Biden administration’s early actions show that it doesn’t believe Europe will ever be vital to this new geopolitical struggle,” wrote Jeremy Shapiro in Politico Europe. “A president known as a longtime transatlantic champion has de-prioritized European policy.”
“The hopeful, optimistic view is that Biden is kicking off a new relationship, showing faith in Brussels and NATO, saying the right words and kicking off the key strategic process” of updating the transatlantic alliance for the 21st century, said Jana Puglierin, Berlin director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, to the New York Times. “But Biden also wants to see bang for the buck, and we need to show tangible results. This is not unconditional love, but friends with benefits.”
'There are deeper signs of European realism. A new survey of European attitudes published Monday by the German Marshall Fund (GMF) of the United States found only limited confidence in Washington. In France and Germany, slender majorities see the United States as the world’s most influential power. Only 51 percent of Germans surveyed viewed the United States as a “reliable” partner.'
'Martin Quencez, deputy director of GMF’s Paris office, told Today’s WorldView that the results suggest that “the Biden effect has not happened” and that the perceived “decrease in U.S. influence is still the same today” as it was under Trump. And given the seeming resilience of the Trumpist movement in the United States, some European analysts are worried that Biden’s tenure will be little more than “an ‘intermezzo’ between more populist, nationalist presidents,” wrote Steven Erlanger of the Times.'
This excerpt is from article from a Deutsche Welle reported on June 4, 2021. What is happening in the US is not going unnoticed.
“But what is currently happening in the US is something more fundamental, more existential. After four years of Donald Trump and a Republican Party that remains firmly caught in his web of lies, it is nothing less than the entire political system that is at stake. That may sound exaggerated, but it is not.
All democracies should pay close attention
All democracies around the world should watch the situation in the US closely and draw lessons from it:
1. There is no such thing as being a bit anti-democratic. Forging coalitions with anti-democratic persons and parties as a strategy to gain or retain power is a bad idea. The Republicans are discovering they can no longer restrain the populist spirit unleashed by Donald Trump.
2. No one has found an answer to the question of how to break up social media echo chambers. The US is a disturbing example of how quickly facts can be replaced by lies when the latter support people's own worldview.
3. Politicians' credibility starts with respect for voters. The presidency of Donald Trump was made possible partly by the arrogance of the liberal political elite, which simply ignored the concerns of many Americans.
4. Democracies can survive only with an independent, critical media that is capable of dialogue and reaching a broad public.
5. And the most important thing of all is educating young people in media literacy and encouraging them to think for themselves. It all starts at school. But that is also where everything can end.”
Thank you, R. Dooley. I would have started earlier than Deutsche Welle's article with the erosion of the working class beginning in Reagan Administration, the technological revolution and the failures of the Democratic Party to support working people, which had been a large portion of its base. Withal, the piece is sharp in its depiction of the dilemma, which gnaws at our hearts.
Reading "Head, Hands & Hart" by David Goodhart. The denigration of those who do manual labor and hands on care giving by "intellectual elites" (even us HCR readers, subconsciously?) underlies so much of the working class angst that the former guy was able to harness and exploit. We must begin with respect, and recognition that the IQ test does not begin to evaluate human gifts.
Ordering that one today! The book I might have written if ever I could. Thank you MaryPat. That is the truth of all truths. In my mind the IQ test does not even measure IQ. My husband as an elementary teacher used Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences as his "bible". Our diversity should be celebrated. It takes all of us.
Those three "H" words, MaryPat, are three of the four words that make up the "Four H" name. Four-H clubs are youth oriented, mostly rural/farming/domestic arts in scope. I was a member for most of my young years, preferring it over Girl Scouts or Campfire Girls which I thought to be shallow.
The fourth word is "Health", and head, hearts, hands and health are a pretty good quarte of goals. I know this is off subject, but the learning and development I went through were priceless to me, and the 4-H clubs are easily overlooked.
Yes 4H! Superb program! And not only overlooked, but like the hand and heart work that David Goodhart describes in the book, too often looked down on by city folks. I have many friends who were in 4H (and still help out as grandparents) and the values and skills they learned as kids are as you say, priceless. I was a Girl Scout which was fun and educational, but mostly I joined so I could go to summer camp.
Bullseye R Dooley. Democracy is not a spectator sport, it’s not self sustaining. It requires commitment, discipline and care much like everything else we value.
We are not guests in this house, we are the householders. We seem to have forgotten what that requires of us. And our vigilance begins locally where we can see most clearly who is actually doing their job and who is just along for the ride.
Sure! But aren’t we all on a knife edge? Hence people’s nerves, hence, sometimes, our violent reactions. Those following HCR are bound to be very aware of the vast scope of the challenges that face America and the world—enough to set any mind on edge…
My friend spoke of national pain and pride. Said he’d shown some of my writing to his wife, who thought it was well written political commentary… “That’s enough,” he said, “to make people who don’t want to know get crazy.”
“If I understand correctly, the Buddha just had to say ‘you will suffer’, Jesus only had to say there is something above Rome, in America some only had to say ‘I’m free too’...”
Yes, on the edge of something, and with that vital nervous energy we need to do as Diane Love suggests -act. "Our vigilance begins locally" so that someting is a stable democracy.
R Dooley. I so agree with #5 and commented earlier on it regarding the large endowment of the Karsh foundation to Univ of VA.
As disturbing to me with Repub efforts at state levels to restrict voting rights is the effort in many states to change curriculum standards to basically whitewash history regarding civil rights and inherent systemic racism….especially in socioeconomic practices.
Our children are tied in to social media and the classrooms of public education. We must be vigilant in our guidance at every level of public education…PreK to 12 and beyond…in making sure our children are clear eyed about the balance between being led and leading. I mention again Paxton Smith and her valedictorian speech last week. She refused to be led into what to say. And decided to lead when she had the platform to do it.
None of us on this and other streams must discount our young. Powerful force they are.
It might be good to keep in mind thar the Washington Post could be under the influence of the big corporations and also to know that the countries on the EU have been infiltrated by Russia for the last 20 years as well, so that would have an effect on polls there..
Russian parties have been around in neighboring countries since the time of Catherine the Great but it must be the first time there has been one in the United States…
Nowadays, Putin’s goons have a finger in every far-right movement in Europe, with the obvious exception of Poland, where the Ultra party merely apes Stalinist practice. The purpose: to form a neo-Fascist international under Muscovite influence, ideally like the Communist parties in Stalin’s day. The ultimate motivation, however, is not so much world domination as hanging on forever to the treasure of the Cavern of the Forty Thieves. Remind you of anything?
Should anyone be surprised if Ali Baba’s today’s villain, just as the hero of the Robin Hood saga is no longer Robin but the Sheriff of Nottingham?
That said, isn’t it more to the point for Americans to deal with the bird in the hand rather than bother so much with the bird in a distant bush. Bear in mind, too, that the Kremlin regime is in such desperate straits that Russians will soon be needing breathing permits. That back-to-the-wall situation is precisely what makes it so dangerous. Extreme hardening of the arteries, as in the last days of the Franco regime, but here multiplied by millions. (We thought that Franco or Ferdinand Marcos were corrupt… Peanuts!) In Russia today there’s a knee, virtual or real, for every neck, especially those of officials who’d dearly love to get the hell out and relax wherever they were wont to relax by the Med.
For everyone’s sake, I so wish their boss hadn’t boxed himself in like that, thereby consigning his country to vassalage to Beijing no doubt more shackling by far than the onetime Tartar tribute.
But then, I’m a silly European. One with a global outlook. In an age long since given over to frog-down-a-well misleaders…
In the excerpt above, the source for information on European attitudes was '... the German Marshall Fund (GMF)' and the information was subsequently reported in The Washington Post.
On Manchin - If he is really trying to protect the filibuster because he believes democrats will be the minority party again soon, doesn’t he see the clear signs that republicans will scrap it as soon as they regain power? Either he’s naive or he’s bought and paid for.
All he has to do is look at what they did with regards to appointing a Supreme Court judge. His reticence to eliminate the filibuster, or even vote for this vital piece of legislation could ultimately be responsible for the loss of voting rights, and, with that, our democracy.
I will say that it was not scrapped during the former President’s administration and McConnell was as determined then to preserve it as Manchin is being now.
But things have drastically changed with Republicans since then - for example, not being willing to investigate January 6 and state legislatures openly supporting voter suppression. Having lost in 2020, Republicans have determined never to be out of power again. Why would they keep the filibuster?
Because the proper use of it is incredibly important in a democracy. Regardless of the players. The legislative branch must be bipartisan to work effectively FOR THE PEOPLE.
I agree. But sad to say the Republicans are showing absolutely NO respect for democracy. Do you think McConnell would pledge to keep the filibuster if they take power in 2022. And would you believe him?
I can only report that I read he fought Trump’s insistence on getting rid of the filibuster every step of the way. And succeeded. I’m sure he is patting himself on the back now. Same as Manchin now.
kick him out of the party, let Mitch run the senate, and run REAL democrats against Manchin and several other fake dems who will not back the party when it counts.
Real Democrats lose when they run against Manchin, as we saw last year. The amount of money behind that weasel since the Citizens United decision, and the amount of FOX News on in WV households and diners, and the level of education available in its schools—these things together constitute the abyss into which democracy is now staring. WV thinks of itself as life-or-death dependent on the fossil fuels that are killing us and extinguishing life forms across the globe.
"Autocratic leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin, have said that democracy is obsolete and autocracy is the form of government that will dominate the future." I am at the moment reading (or audibling - if there is such a word) STRONG MEN by Ruth Ben Ghiat. It scares the pants off me (but we call them trousers over here!). The pattern she describes of the Mussolini/Hitler era seems so very familiar in the (now) Trump/Putin?Xi era. Democracy, on both sides of the pond, is fragile but is (for all its faults) something we should fight very hard to keep.
Yes, Richard B (Norfolk, UK). I've hear of Ruth Ben Ghiat's "STRONG MEN'. Ben Franklin told America that democracy is the best government, if we can keep it. What we saw from 2016 - 2020 in the White House is a prime example of autocracy, and we see it in many other countries, e.g., Brazil, India, Phillipines, Russia, China, Indonesia, Israel, etc. Perhaps even the Tories in the UK. We must not be silent and let them take over.
Second was the visual of Joe Manchin singing along with "We Shall Overcome". It made me so angry. I know that the show was taped last month, but still, seeing him singing the song was so jarring in light of his current stance was disgusting. Third, the segment on Joan made me melancholy. She spent her whole life rallying people for social justice and against the war...so many of us were inspired by her songs....and to realize that 50 years later we are still fighting for the same things. I must admit to tears rolling down my cheeks.
I'm signing on for another year already, June 11th....confident of the future that we'll see together. It's been quite a tumultous ride already but easier and more interesting because Heather is with us and we can discuss, comfort and inspire each other and act together each according to their means and capacity.
Thank you, Stuart. Your contributions to this substack's commentary are obviously substantial and your perspective from across the Atlantic invaluable. I also applaud your making the decision public to the forum, as others have also done recently. This in itself is an encouragement to all sincere subscribers and concerned (active) citizens.
When challenged by President Biden's statement that democracy can react as fast as autocracies, I'm considering that one thing that has to happen is the judiciary and the courts must act a lot faster. Instead of expanding the one Supreme Court, maybe we need several Supreme Courts each hearing different classes of cases. The bill to expedite Congressional subpoenas to the top court is perhaps a move in that direction.
This "D-Day Dodgers" song sarcastically calls out the lack of attention to Allied troops overlooked for their work in Italy while attention was on troops landing in Normandy. Turns out some were more than overlooked. Canadian troops were close to liberating Rome, but were ordered to halt by American commanders so the Americans could march into Rome and get the credit.
Amen. The Allied forces had already battled and suffered immensely for 18 months before D-Day Normandy.
"Canadian troops were close to liberating Rome, but were ordered to halt by American commanders..." Actually, it was only one American commander--General Mark Clark, commander of American 5th Army. In his search for glory, he became known by many of his troops and allies as "General Marcus Aurelius Clarkus". He was a good soldier overall (e.g., in training troops as well as organizing and planning exercises), but he overstepped and made a bad decision in overriding his commander's (General Sir Harold Alexander, CG of 15th Army Group) orders and went to Rome. My father was an American officer on Alexander's staff (part of the Anglo-American alliance), and he felt that Alexander "was the finest soldier in WWII."
It's strange how many Americans believe that D-Day was the ultimate battle in WWII. They know nothing or pay no attention to how the Anglo-American soldiers had been battling for 18 months before that, battling across all of North Africa, then Sicily, and finally from the southern tip of Italy up to Rome before D-Day Normandy even took place. No one in the European war battled harder than the Allied forces in Italy fighting through one mountain range after another as they chased the Germans north. In the 5-month battle for Monte Cassino alone, the Allies suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties as they fought top German units, such as the German First Parachute Division.
Everyday I see people asking "What can we do?" and invariably help is offered in the form "join *this* group, join *that* group. It's not inherently bad to do that because it can get people engaged but when look at the left from 30,000 feet you see a Venn diagram of non-converging circles. Every group wants to be the *one* who vanquished the right. There is no overlapping, coordination even cooperation between them, but they all flood your mailbox with requests for money with the promise "we can fix it". The results are overall dismal.
Until we can gel we live in right wing hell. Margaret Meade was right about change starts in small groups but it only
"This agreement is a huge deal. If accepted, it would stop countries from trying to attract multinational businesses by cutting taxes on them, a so-called “race to the bottom” that reduces the amount of tax money available for public investment while pumping money into the largest multinational corporations." Then, a few paragraphs later: "International treaties require a two-thirds majority in the Senate to pass, and Republicans, who have vowed to oppose any tax increases, are unlikely to approve." To put it mildly.
Or in short, this is not a "huge deal. " It's idle chatter. If Biden keeps coming up with lovely schemes while refusing to dump the filibuster or get Manchin and Sinema in line, Prof. Richardson had best start taking a less starry-eyed view of his hopey-changey thing. I'm starting to lose confidence in her, despite my deep gratitude for her help in getting us through the Slough of Despond last year.
Exactly. Strong democracies means strong allies. “Biden recognizes that we are at a defining moment in world history. In his op-ed, he asks: “Can democracies come together to deliver real results for our people in a rapidly changing world? Will the democratic alliances and institutions that shaped so much of the last century prove their capacity against modern-day threats and adversaries?”
Autocratic leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin, have said that democracy is obsolete and autocracy is the form of government that will dominate the future. Biden is dedicating his presidency to the defense of democracy. Can democracy stand firm in the modern day?” ❤️❤️ Thank you 81,283,485 Biden voters. Let’s make sure we keep it!! People are doing the work. All hands on deck! Despair will “suck your circuits dry”.
Good morning Lynell! 😁😁❤️ I start my day with it every day and often the album of photos I have saved of people standing in lines for hours to exercise their right to having a voice/vote. I am so grateful!!! I cannot wrap my head around the alternative. I truly think it would have killed me.
Three cheers for the 3 branches of our government, separated from each other as they are. Thanks, Michael! I think Dr. R does a fine job of reflecting the realities of today. Not once have I ever heard (or read) her promise any of us a rose garden
The Dems only have to win the 2022 election....massively and thus merit their name despite republican efforts to the contrary....and then they set things right. If the people want democracy, they are going to have to make an effort to keep it as that's what democracy is all about. It's the only thing that the GOP rump will understand. The rest is "pissing in the wind".
Come midterms, i think that it’s likely the Republicans will, once again, control the Congress. Their victory will be the result of a mix of the control of state governments , voter suppression, gerrymandering, increased voter turnout to throw out the ‘socialists’, and foreign interference. Can a state legislature overturn the popular vote? We shall see.
Then to the mix, add record setting budget deficits, higher inflation, high gas prices , a nationwide increase in violent crime and porous borders.
There is a difference between reduced optimism and Harry's outright pessimism. I think there is a better shot at passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Bill than the more encompassing For The People Act. That's where Manchin will play ball and where negotiations should start. If that doesn't work, a massive Democratic victory in 2022 as Stuart Attewell mentions above (or below or wherever on here) will be needed to "set things right." And an anticipated SCOTUS decision reducing women's rights might be the impetus for a massive turnout of Democratic voters, even extending to victories in State legislatures, which are crux of the problem.
Very true, Jack. In the end of the day, what will screw the Trumpites even with their electoral shenanigens is a massive turnout in person. The result has to be beyond question.
Harry, much as i appreciate your reasons for pessimism, i cannot permit myself to share it. Optimism is all very fine but its not that either. There comes a time when you have to draw a line, say stop and act rather than debate. If the Dems don't succeed my freedom in France will disappear too as it won't stop at your borders. The Dems must not just try, they must succeed or we are all dead in the water..including you!
The arguements about budget deficits is so much hot air to my mind as all governments will be doing it and inflation might initially spike because of the covid cris but won't last as their is plenty of spare capacity in the economy. Higher gas prices....not much as Opec will be falling over themselves to cheat on their quotas as they are all hurting. Increased violent crime? Well...you've had it for some time and so have we. Biden is more likely to do something rational about it than the opposition. You can't go on locking up twice as many people than anyone else. The causes are going to have to be addressed. We are talking prevention.
Not looking good its true. Time to get up and act to change things.
This time, Lynell, there is no question of "trying" . The Dems succeed or they are dead...perhaps even literally. It concentrates the mind somewhat. The GOP must be shown that the people are stronger than them. Then the law can deal with them.
Whenever I despair, I think John Lewis, MLK, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Rev. Dr. William Barber (The Poor Peoples Campaign), W.E.B. DuBois, Maya Angelou, Sojourner Truth, Thurgood Marshall, James Baldwin, Opal Tometi (BLM co-founder), James Rucker (Color of Change), Kimberlé Crenshaw (professor of law), Alicia Garza (BLM co-founder), Patrisse Cullors (prison abolitionist and BLM co-founder), Stacey Abrams... I think Wilmington, NC 1898, Tulsa, OK (1921), Rosewood, FL 1923, Atlanta, GA 1906, Chicago, IL 1919, Washington, DC 1919... Many died but many rose up. Many are still here, never giving up.
I think you are too young to remember strong Democratic presidents and how they operate in a national crisis. Of course he has the power to get Manchin and Sinema in line. As much power surely as the minority leader of the Senate has to get his people in line! Manchin is not a man of principle and Sinema is an egregious shifter in the wind. But Biden loves the filibuster. He is saving it fir a rainy day—as we sit here in a cloudburst, watching the death of democracy at the brink of the greatest period of chaos and devastation the planet and thus the human world has ever experienced.
"Of course he has the power..." Umm. No, he doesn't. He doesn't even have the necessary influence, especially in West Virginia. On what do you base this claim?
Scott, you are correct. He doesn't, nor does the Democratic Party with the razor thin lead. Frankly, we really are dead even and the GOP is holding all the cards. I remember when Biden won and so many people thought this was the next coming of Christ. I think they are realizing 2020 did nothing more than stave off the GOP for 2 years.
Yes, that is the fear. FWIW, re: LBJ comparisons. Leaving aside any characterological comparisons, after the 1964 elections, Democrats held the most lopsided majorities in both houses of Congress since the New Deal (1936). That made passing needed legislation a great deal easier for Johnson than for Biden's situation.
Actually, I'm 70 and have been closely attuned to national politics since my high school days. I would argue that the power dynamics have changed in Washington. For example, the leaders in the House and Senate, while wielding significant clout, aren't as powerful as some of their predecessors in the '60s and '70s. And Biden is no LBJ. Big money is also far more influential today.
Mr Bales, you seem to be looking for a fight. Yes, that's exactly my point, Biden is no LBJ! How do you be LBJ? Given the right conditions, you be it. Biden's been longer in DC, has more Friends In High Places, and far more executive power than LBJ did when he became president. He doesn't want to be it. He likes the filibuster, is too used to power to imagine what it's like to be the people who are losing it hand over fist: i.e. us in general but especially Black and indigenous Americans. He can't face or just doesn't get the degree of trouble we're in. But no, we do disagree on one point: we've never had as powerful a leader in the Senate as Mitch McConnell--who somehow manages to remain in control despite being in the minority. If you're 70, and so much smarter than me, you should know that.
I knew when I said something less than adoring about Prof. Richardson's powers of perception I'd get in trouble on this list, and I have. But I thought it should be said nonetheless, as the dissonance in her letter was so striking. She's an academic, we're used to prodding and being prodded by each other to think harder. I've been told (though not by Mr. Bales) not to say things here like she is wrong, or I disagree, despite my repeated protestations of respect and admiration for her powers as a historian. That scares me. I suspect it may unsettle Professor Richardson as well.
Chiming in here… “Mr Bales, you seem to be looking for a fight.” 😳😳😳 he’s stating an opinion. You stated your opinion. Why is it you see him as “looking for a fight”. If you feel you have a right to offer a contrary opinion, how is it that if he offers his, “he’s looking for a fight??” Like I’ve said before here, it cuts both ways. In no way was he disrespectful. You have every right to speak your opinion, but don’t expect people to silence their reaction to your opinion. People are here because they benefit from being here and so yes you will find a great deal of love for the Professor. I don’t understand why that wouldn’t be expected. My opinion about who is here “looking for a fight” is not in agreement with yours. That said I have a lot of respect for many of your comments I have seen here.
Thank you, Christy. I am in no way looking for a fight, especially in this most civil of forums. Also, another point in the discussion: the media landscape has changed remarkably. Today, struggles like the one involving Manchin and Sinema play out 24/7 across the media spectrum, including on cable stations with distinct political points of view. In the '60s and '70s, a president strong-arming a member of Congress might never have been publicized. Now we have Manchin milking this to his advantage in the most public way. Because of the power he holds, given the thinnest of margins in the Senate, he doesn't fear bucking what Biden and other Democrats want. What's not public is what he might be demanding in return for his support.
Christy I thought he was looking for a fight because he objected to my point when it was exactly the same as his! Biden is no LBJ. Our opinion is THE SAME. As we agree, why did he chide me?
And isn’t it clear from my constant harping on my gratitude to and admiration for Professor Richardson that I am on her side too? I have had occasion to disagree with or point out fuzzy arguments made by many people I respect, am fond of, even love. For me, love and agreement are quite separate. I know Prof Richardson can do better than this letter because I read her lettersevery day, and my right to point out fuzzy thinking exists in part because we all need each other’s help to arrive at clarity. This is a very important crisis we’re in and Senator Manchin has just told us all, in writing, that hope alone is not going to save our democracy. Because he has the power, as long as the boss of his party (Biden) doesn’t stop him, to block the path of every single big bill the Democrats have spent the last few desperate years creating for when the moment came that we had the votes to bring the Senate along. Here it is, and McConnell and Manchin have teamed up to stop them. Complacency and optimism seem to me out of place when what is needed is a roused and active electorate. So, that’s my answer. As her fellow academic I would like the sane, kind and brilliant professor to pay attention to and think about the places where she contradicts herself. That is how we were all trained to push our thinking—at the sites of contradiction.
Mary, you are always free to say whatever you like about Professor Richardson. As long as it's factual. The same for anyone else here. You won't be hurting her feelings, I doubt that she reads anything we write. It's just a sounding board she set up for us.
Mary, I respectfully disagree with the last two sentences of your post. Heather is reporting on current events and I'm not sensing a starry-eyed view at all. I've always thought she's pretty unbiased and I maintain that posture. She's not a game-changer and doesn't purport to be one; she's a person who understands history and provides subtle "warnings" on the potential course of the current political landscape, using relevant history to compare today and yesteryear. If you're starting to lose confidence in her, perhaps it's that you're really losing confidence in outcomes you're hoping for. I think we all share that type of feeling, especially with Sunday's news from Manchin that he will oppose the voting bill and changes to the filibuster rules. That's not Heather's fault; her role as scribe is to bring you the "news" and then it's up to you to do something about it. There appear to be ample opportunities on this site to get involved in advancing democratic programs and denouncing Trump and the despicables (love that word) who follow him. In other words, don't get down on Heather so much; she's only the messenger.
No in fact I’ve been losing confidence in her ability to see what’s at stake and what these self-abandoned politicians are up to for months. She is a terrific historian, but she is an optimist, which is a more possible hole for successful, financially comfortable White people to fall into than for others. The logical fallacy my pair of quotations from her letter reveals is the optimist at work, not the keenly analytical historian. I am and will always be grateful to her for watching out for us during a time of awful trauma. But the trauma is not over, and she seems more often to be confronting it with the intellectually weak resource of optimism. You don’t have to agree, nor does she! But I am not alone in my disappointment. And I have every right to express it here.
Of course you have every right to express yourself here or anywhere else. And no, the trauma is not over; in fact, I think it's worsening. As for Heather showing optimism, yes, I see that come through occasionally but only occasionally. And frankly, what would you prefer, a little optimism optimism or chronic negativity? I'll go for optimism, because it does tend to give people a feeling of hope, snd perhaps motivate them to get involved in changing what's wrong. Who the heck wants to grouse all the time? Not me. I'll be honest with you, I wish the Democrats would stop being so nice in this whole mess but I do believe Biden is playing his cards close to the vest, which is smart for a man in his position. (Aren't you glad Trump isn't in office giving his daily moronic, lie-filled rants?) If Biden would start calling out Trump by name, Trump would respond a hundred-fold and try to make Biden look like a total schlump. Then the media will play up what Trump is doing, Trump gets the limelight he craves, and Trump's legions will feel even more emboldened, blah, blah, blah. This is a wicked game going on right now on multiple fronts. Heather supplies me with information and facts. I use that information to research the topics further and then I form my own opinions. I have never been one to consider optimism a "intellectually weak resource." Quite to the contrary, optimism has done many positive things for me in my personal and professional lives. You can bitch about things all you want; where's it going to get you? Maybe you and I have different backgrounds; I really don't know. I'm the son of a steelworker and a third-grade teacher, both of whom encouraged me to make my own decisions in life, after I've considered the pros and cons of whatever situation I was in. I've formed my own opinions about people and really despise bigots and racism. This is off-point and I'll end this by saying that perhaps you should just read Heather's columns for their content and not pay too much attention to analyzing the author. I'm damn glad she's consistently unbiased, or I'd never pay five bucks a month to read her columns and peoples' comments.
Leaves those obstructionists in a really bad place. It makes more obvious how much our “we the people vote” really matters. What needs to change is the lies and the propaganda so more voters can see the truth of what enables prosperity and stand up for it.
why would the US senate care if foreign countries agree to tax international corporations at a uniform rate? this would not seem to fall into any category of tax increase that they are concerned about.
The only Democratic legislation McConnell just might support would be a bill preventing the elimination of toilet paper from the Senators' restrooms. Or would he oppose that as well, instructing Republican Senators to "bring their own," a right they already have?
“Autocratic leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin, have said that democracy is obsolete and autocracy is the form of government that will dominate the future.”
Republicans have more in common with Xi and Putin than they do with us. Hmmmm
From the time I was a kid in the '50s it was stressed to me that one of the biggest differences between the US and the rest of the world (and particularly Russia) was that we Americans were above "The State".
In the US, the government did not exist externally to its people; here the people were the government! Nowhere else was that true... That "notion" that a government should be beholden to its people was the key idea that underscored the American Revolution and MADE it so revolutionary. It defines the "American Experiment".
For people who have such a treasure in their hands and then be willing today to trade it away to an autocracy dumbfounds me!
As it’s the anniversary of his untimely death, “I am opposed to communism as it exalts the state over the individual”-RFK
Russia still does this, while it exploits and steals from its people through the export of natural resources, then exporting the grifters profit, laundering it, and stashing it in foreign real estate and shady banks.
China does the same. It’s natural resource is human labor, and the profits go toward investments in oppression, surveillance, and building its military.
What is the American system once the middle class is gone?
That's the big rub isn't it. The Republicans are cannibalizing the middle class and therefore destroying capitalism as well as democracy. My kudos to Secretary Yellen. That will do more to stabilize the world economy and therefore allow it to grow than I could have imagined.
It won't pass the senate, Cathy. Take a look at the Letter again.
Time will come for the “Nuclear” option. ( I don’t like that term either. See how clever word smithing has a psychological effect? Republicans have, in pre fascist style corrupted the language. These are just rules to be set by the senate.
Yes, so 1984 if chills me.
Let's not underestimate Secretary Yellen! She is so respected that even the Republicans might follow her lead.
I think business will back her plan. Business has to see that to keep the golden goose (America) laying golden eggs, we can’t have authoritarianism.
Agreed.
If Biden is for it McConnell is against it. It’s really that simple. No political wins allowed for Democrats.
This is McConnell's role in all this. He made it his mission for Obama, and is duplicating his stance for Biden. Come hell or high water, one man is on a mission to sabotage the Democratic president.
As I commented earlier, keep the eye on the Slinky that is the sycophant elephant party right now.
Not so sure about that. The alliance of the G7 is tough. By August, look at some Repubs to act like the toy Slinky and reverse.
OK, I'll remember to do that.
Somehow a country more like Russia is more appealing than a country more like Denmark. Go figure.
Exactly.
I cant think of a past or present Oligarchy or Authoritarian state where a middle class existed for very long.
We see the same picture. It isn't totally gone from the country but, for the most part, far from the Democratic Party. The Independents outnumber the Democrats, and they must be won over.
Fern, I think you are totally right. Win the independents first, in order to fix what is broken 2nd. A successful test of that strategy is pressure on Manchin and Sinnema in their home states. When that independent pressure is turned up on them or they are defeated by a middle ground but leaning progressive candidate. November 2022 is so critically important. ERghhhh. And waiting is no fun at all.
"The Republicans are cannibalizing the middle class and therefore destroying capitalism as well as democracy." Wow. That's It! May I quote you Cathy?
53 years ago tomorrow night. It seems like yesterday. I can remember exactly what I was doing when I heard the news, just like his brother, MLK, and John Lennon.
I remember seeing him in Union Square in SF the week before. "Some men look at things as they are and say, why? I look at things that never were and say, why not?"
TC, I can hear his voice so clearly. Such a light.
Might it be more apt to say: "as" the middle class shrinks to an afterthought?
Endorsed, apart from a single sentence: "Nowhere else was that true..."
Nevertheless, if this principle is so threatened today, it is because of mutual neglect on the part of elected officials and, above all, the people. And the deliberate neglect, indeed suppression, of the rights of minorities, especially those whose skin color is not “white”.
Here, I must, as a foreigner, add my bewilderment and horror at the continued indication in the US of “race” in official identity documents. A citizen is a citizen is a citizen—A Man’s a Man for a’ that!
Democracy is a living entity and its health, indeed its survival, depend on care and nurture by the people and their representatives.
R. Dooley has made very clear the role to be played by education in this process.
Gary, it is not enough to believe in the principles, then take them for granted. They must be consciously upheld by citizens—sisters, brothers. A lifelong duty.
Then let us pray that come it may,
As come it will for a’ that,
That Sense and Worth, o’er a’ the earth
Shall bear the gree an’ a’ that.
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
It’s comin yet for a’ that,
That Man to Man the warld o’er
Shall brithers be for a’ that.
https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/mans-man-0/
The voice of Robert Burns!
I often wonder if they really understand the devastating consequences of what they are supporting. I know that there are several Republicans that have taken trips to Russia. For what exactly, I don't know, but you don't hear about Democrats yammering to get a seat at a high-ranking Russian diplomat's table. Is power and money the only motive for these authoritarian pursuers?
They go there because they are invited. Russia hosts all kinds of state sponsored right wing events, except pro gun. White supremist are paid to come and speak at conferences. White Evangelicals also. This is how Russia uses its State Department to foment discord in republicans rival counties.
I believe they’ve been blackmailed or threatened with blackmail. They are afraid of exposure.
Not necessarily blackmail. They know what they've done. They are definitely afraid of exposure from an investigation
I’m talking about starting with their hometown sex scandals, from the ‘50s
Good question
"...a government should be beholden to its people was the key idea that underscored the American Revolution and MADE it so revolutionary. It defines the "American Experiment". - Then, enter the politicians.........
"Democracy" remains a radical idea steeped in the promise of the enlightenment.
It’s only radical to the oligarchy.
Gary, well done. Love your government as your friend without it the end.
As a vehicle for declaring what is to be done and providing an explanation, an op-ed is a considerable advance on a tweet.
All the sentence structure and proper grammar gave me goosebumps.
Oh. That is good Bob! Hahahaha!
Oh man, all that reading though! :)
❤️ Agreed. Leaves out the “Fox Not News” crowd though
The biggest issue I see today is what to do with the coward Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia who insists on holding the nation captive till he gets a minority of Repubs to agree with Joe Biden's plans for America.
This is not a Democrat who is seeking to help the people of this nation. This is a person who is attempting to appease a minority of political interests who are only interested inn themselves. Joe has risked nothing to arrive at where he is today. A pocks on him. If he proclaimed he was a Repub, I could tolerate him. I would know his beliefs. He is an empty suit, a coward who has risked "nothing" to arrive at where he is today.
It is annoying that one person can hold a nation captive to their interests. A minority inflicting their harm upon a majority. A tyranny of a minority.
Sigh . . .
Manchin, the gravedigger of democracy.
Yes, it’s astonishing how much power (misused) Joe Manchin is wielding. And not towards any good to move forward and onward. I’m guessing he feels that his position endears him to Republicans. And he will keep his job. So sad.
Don't many Republicans want these policies Biden is proposing especiallyHR1/S1 ? If this is true then Manchin is pandering to Republican legislators not even his constituents. Does that get him re-elected cause nowadays it seems our congress people only do things to get re-elected?
Rebecca's link from The Daily is worth your time to listen to if you are really interested in getting closer to knowing the how and why of Manchin. I'll repost it here:
www.nytimes.com/2021/06/02/podcasts/the-daily/joe-manchin-joe-biden-democratic-party.html
His constituents largely vote Republican. He's trying to play both sides to keep his seat.
The taste of power can go to someone's (Joe's) head.
NYT “The Daily” did a podcast about Joe Manchin that was quite enlightening.
www.nytimes.com/2021/06/02/podcasts/the-daily/joe-manchin-joe-biden-democratic-party.html
Manchin asks in his editorial, "Do we really want to live in an America where one party can dictate and demand everything and anything it wants, whenever it wants?" Isn't that exactly what the "For the People Act" is trying to stop? And isn't that why ending the filibuster is even imagined?
Manchin asks in his editorial, "Do we really want to live in an America where one party can dictate and demand everything and anything it wants, whenever it wants?"
That, in fact, is exactly what Manchin is enabling McConnell and Republicans in Congress to do. How can he not see that!? (Rhetorical question, clearly he cannot or chooses not to do so).
I am sure Professor Heather has a greater in-depth knowledge of the filibuster than I.
I will recite what "I-believe" I know. It is said the "previous question motion" was eliminated at the suggestion of Aaron Burr who, as well as others, believed it was not needed because senators knew when to stop a debate and move on with a vote. A simple majority could pass a previous question motion and bring the bill to a vote. It worked until decades later when the filibuster was increasingly used to stall legislation. To get past the filibuster, a sixty vote minimum was used except for various instances as identified.
Senator Joe Manchin wishes an effort be made by Dems to drag reluctant Repubs to the table, negotiate, and agree to vote. The problem with this ploy is McConnell and now trump are threatening various Repubs who may vote with Dems with being campaigned against by the national party. McConnell is more of a threat on this than trump.
There are moderate Repub Senators who could vote with Dems such as "yank the football out of the way" Susan (Lucy) Collins, etc. but 10 appears to be a large number and there are no guarantees. We have no leverage and for all the forecasting of a great Dem take over of the Senate, we received very little in results other than a lucky, very lucky, surprise in Georgia.
If you remember for the PPACA, we had a holdout also in the form of the Senator from Aetna Joe Liberman who was the sixtieth vote to limit the debate. The bill had already been bantered around amongst the political Dem interests and the clock was ticking. Joe Liberman wanted the Public Option dropped for his vote, The Public Option disappeared.
The time it took to negotiate all these interests not only cost us a Public Option, with the death of Ted Kennedy we lost Medicare for All and Long term Care for the elderly. So yes, getting consensus is important; but, we must way the costs of doing so over the two years we have until the next election for Representatives and Senators. We could lose a majority again.
Just a warning . . .
Morning and thank you Rebecca!
Morning, Rebecca!! Listening to this podcast gave me a better perspective about Manchin. Thanks!
Clearly Manchin is straddling a very wide divide in an effort to keep his job. Would some other Dem be able to win that seat and be more Democratic? Or is the risk of an actual GOP person winning his seat a very real possibility?
His seat going Republican is a real possibility.
This is what he writes to his constituency: https://www.wvgazettemail.com/opinion/op_ed_commentaries/joe-manchin-why-im-voting-against-the-for-the-people-act/article_c7eb2551-a500-5f77-aa37-2e42d0af870f.html
Interesting to see what Manchin has in mind instead of S1:
"The Voting Rights Act...was monumental in the fight to guarantee freer and fairer elections in the United States. Since its original passage, it has been reauthorized with overwhelming bipartisan votes five separate times. In addition, there is bipartisan support to pass the latest iteration of this legislation, the rightfully named John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would update the formula states and localities must use to ensure proposed voting laws do not restrict the rights of any particular group or population."
If Plan A for S1 falls through, we need to gear up for a Plan B.
I listened to Morning Joe today and they discussed the fact that S1 was a very "broad" bill and that there are other Dems that do not support it, albeit "silently" so Manchin can take the heat. Also said that this bill covers way more than protecting voting rights (I will need to go back and re-read the bill to see what that is). So, maybe Joe needs to put his money where his mouth is and work with Dems in the House and Repubs in the Senate to craft a more "targeted" bill that will protect voting rights, and ESPECIALLY provide for no changing of results by partisans. While that may not give us all that we want, the house is on fire now. If we can get a smaller but targeted bill that gives us most of what we want, then Manchin will need to rally support. This needs to be done immediately as we cannot wait.
Replying to myself because I just found an opinion piece from Jennifer Rubin from WAPO which states exactly what I just said: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/06/07/time-call-manchins-bluff/
For those of you who don't have access to it, it basically says "Time to Call Manchin's bluff".
hey, Liz. Here's an opinion column that I think has merit. I am saving your post to read later. My brain needs a rest! https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/06/07/how-joe-manchins-awful-new-stance-could-blow-up-his-face/
Morning, Liz. (It's now Tuesday, 2:00 am) Greg Sargent's column below dovetails pretty much what you say here. Lowering the vote count to 55 would be in keeping with what his mentor, Byrd, did years ago.
Wonder what he would do if Repubs also opposed that law (which they probably do).
Cornyn from Texas has already said he wouldn't support it.
Thanks Lynell! I find it really interesting that Manchin is simply using the same verbiage as the Republicans when claiming that he is supporting democracy, with no acknowledgement of the history of the filibuster's original and real purpose, which was to obstruct the legislation that demands equity for non-white-men. Illuminating. He clearly thinks (or cynically doesn't believe this but uses it anyway) that Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is reality.
Morning Lynell.
Ahhhh, that is interesting. A more complete viewpoint from Senator Manchin than sound bites that we are given in the news outlets and on social media.
Thanks Lynell, seeing his statement in its entirety is helpful.
Do i hear doublespeak?
I believe with him it is a classic "follow the money" matter. Sinema too, for that matter.
Geez, I really like this post. I've often wondered why he isn't a Republican. Pretty much everything he does points to him being one.
“Biden is dedicating his presidency to the defense of democracy.” Thank goodness. Hopefully he’ll also use this opportunity to influence the “on the fence” Democrats to support the For the People Act. It seems that democracy is crumbling before our eyes. Is this our only hope?
Thanks, Heather
How can people be "on the fence" about Democracy?
Scooped up from another comment here. An answe to your question:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5TuxYlpUNYRjihg5Olj8tn?si=lfLr5YSbRc--EL0ZZhKZ9Q
I heard that very interesting podcast since I subscribe. The interviewee, Dr Steven Hassan, has written a book by the same name.
Sigh........
Most people don't like to move or change if they are comfortable.
Governance by the people and the rule of law, or autocracy and edict? This is the question of these, our times. Like Winston Churchill said, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.”
European perspectives from the Washington Post's, Today's WorldView, provided a deeper sense of what Biden may face when he meets with the G7 this week. It rings more of wariness than enthusiasm.
'But elements of Trump’s trade war are still in place, while the Biden administration maintains pandemic-era restrictions on E.U. citizens traveling to the country even as the continent opens up to a legion of eager U.S. tourists. Experts see the fact that Biden has yet to name ambassadors to either NATO or to the European Union in Brussels as a sign of inattention from Washington. European commentators also recognize that, no matter Biden’s imminent bonhomie in London and Brussels, the United States increasingly views Europe at best as a junior partner in its intensifying competition with China.'
“Beyond all of the summitry and diplomatic attention, the Biden administration’s early actions show that it doesn’t believe Europe will ever be vital to this new geopolitical struggle,” wrote Jeremy Shapiro in Politico Europe. “A president known as a longtime transatlantic champion has de-prioritized European policy.”
“The hopeful, optimistic view is that Biden is kicking off a new relationship, showing faith in Brussels and NATO, saying the right words and kicking off the key strategic process” of updating the transatlantic alliance for the 21st century, said Jana Puglierin, Berlin director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, to the New York Times. “But Biden also wants to see bang for the buck, and we need to show tangible results. This is not unconditional love, but friends with benefits.”
'There are deeper signs of European realism. A new survey of European attitudes published Monday by the German Marshall Fund (GMF) of the United States found only limited confidence in Washington. In France and Germany, slender majorities see the United States as the world’s most influential power. Only 51 percent of Germans surveyed viewed the United States as a “reliable” partner.'
'Martin Quencez, deputy director of GMF’s Paris office, told Today’s WorldView that the results suggest that “the Biden effect has not happened” and that the perceived “decrease in U.S. influence is still the same today” as it was under Trump. And given the seeming resilience of the Trumpist movement in the United States, some European analysts are worried that Biden’s tenure will be little more than “an ‘intermezzo’ between more populist, nationalist presidents,” wrote Steven Erlanger of the Times.'
link to article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/06/07/biden-europe-alliances/
Another European perspective.
This excerpt is from article from a Deutsche Welle reported on June 4, 2021. What is happening in the US is not going unnoticed.
“But what is currently happening in the US is something more fundamental, more existential. After four years of Donald Trump and a Republican Party that remains firmly caught in his web of lies, it is nothing less than the entire political system that is at stake. That may sound exaggerated, but it is not.
All democracies should pay close attention
All democracies around the world should watch the situation in the US closely and draw lessons from it:
1. There is no such thing as being a bit anti-democratic. Forging coalitions with anti-democratic persons and parties as a strategy to gain or retain power is a bad idea. The Republicans are discovering they can no longer restrain the populist spirit unleashed by Donald Trump.
2. No one has found an answer to the question of how to break up social media echo chambers. The US is a disturbing example of how quickly facts can be replaced by lies when the latter support people's own worldview.
3. Politicians' credibility starts with respect for voters. The presidency of Donald Trump was made possible partly by the arrogance of the liberal political elite, which simply ignored the concerns of many Americans.
4. Democracies can survive only with an independent, critical media that is capable of dialogue and reaching a broad public.
5. And the most important thing of all is educating young people in media literacy and encouraging them to think for themselves. It all starts at school. But that is also where everything can end.”
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/opinion-us-voting-rights-restrictions-are-a-warning-to-all-democracies/a-57781184?maca=en-newsletter_en_bulletin-2097-xml-newsletter&r=77177841987554627&lid=1849827&pm_ln=95090
Thank you, R. Dooley. I would have started earlier than Deutsche Welle's article with the erosion of the working class beginning in Reagan Administration, the technological revolution and the failures of the Democratic Party to support working people, which had been a large portion of its base. Withal, the piece is sharp in its depiction of the dilemma, which gnaws at our hearts.
Reading "Head, Hands & Hart" by David Goodhart. The denigration of those who do manual labor and hands on care giving by "intellectual elites" (even us HCR readers, subconsciously?) underlies so much of the working class angst that the former guy was able to harness and exploit. We must begin with respect, and recognition that the IQ test does not begin to evaluate human gifts.
Ordering that one today! The book I might have written if ever I could. Thank you MaryPat. That is the truth of all truths. In my mind the IQ test does not even measure IQ. My husband as an elementary teacher used Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences as his "bible". Our diversity should be celebrated. It takes all of us.
YES!! How wonderful for your husband's students and their families!!!
Head, Hands and Heart.
Those three "H" words, MaryPat, are three of the four words that make up the "Four H" name. Four-H clubs are youth oriented, mostly rural/farming/domestic arts in scope. I was a member for most of my young years, preferring it over Girl Scouts or Campfire Girls which I thought to be shallow.
The fourth word is "Health", and head, hearts, hands and health are a pretty good quarte of goals. I know this is off subject, but the learning and development I went through were priceless to me, and the 4-H clubs are easily overlooked.
Yes 4H! Superb program! And not only overlooked, but like the hand and heart work that David Goodhart describes in the book, too often looked down on by city folks. I have many friends who were in 4H (and still help out as grandparents) and the values and skills they learned as kids are as you say, priceless. I was a Girl Scout which was fun and educational, but mostly I joined so I could go to summer camp.
This is exactly why Democrats lost the working class. It was a failure of messaging.
And a failure to respect.
Bullseye R Dooley. Democracy is not a spectator sport, it’s not self sustaining. It requires commitment, discipline and care much like everything else we value.
We are not guests in this house, we are the householders. We seem to have forgotten what that requires of us. And our vigilance begins locally where we can see most clearly who is actually doing their job and who is just along for the ride.
My goodness, how well you and R. Dooley have said it between the two of you! A call to arms!
As my good American friend wrote to me today “America is on the brink of something.”
Something good, I hope.
Sure! But aren’t we all on a knife edge? Hence people’s nerves, hence, sometimes, our violent reactions. Those following HCR are bound to be very aware of the vast scope of the challenges that face America and the world—enough to set any mind on edge…
My friend spoke of national pain and pride. Said he’d shown some of my writing to his wife, who thought it was well written political commentary… “That’s enough,” he said, “to make people who don’t want to know get crazy.”
“If I understand correctly, the Buddha just had to say ‘you will suffer’, Jesus only had to say there is something above Rome, in America some only had to say ‘I’m free too’...”
Yes, on the edge of something, and with that vital nervous energy we need to do as Diane Love suggests -act. "Our vigilance begins locally" so that someting is a stable democracy.
R Dooley. I so agree with #5 and commented earlier on it regarding the large endowment of the Karsh foundation to Univ of VA.
As disturbing to me with Repub efforts at state levels to restrict voting rights is the effort in many states to change curriculum standards to basically whitewash history regarding civil rights and inherent systemic racism….especially in socioeconomic practices.
Our children are tied in to social media and the classrooms of public education. We must be vigilant in our guidance at every level of public education…PreK to 12 and beyond…in making sure our children are clear eyed about the balance between being led and leading. I mention again Paxton Smith and her valedictorian speech last week. She refused to be led into what to say. And decided to lead when she had the platform to do it.
None of us on this and other streams must discount our young. Powerful force they are.
Thank you, R. Dooley, for your very pointed and useful contribution today.
Thanks R Dooley--this is a great and helpful post.
It might be good to keep in mind thar the Washington Post could be under the influence of the big corporations and also to know that the countries on the EU have been infiltrated by Russia for the last 20 years as well, so that would have an effect on polls there..
Russian parties have been around in neighboring countries since the time of Catherine the Great but it must be the first time there has been one in the United States…
Nowadays, Putin’s goons have a finger in every far-right movement in Europe, with the obvious exception of Poland, where the Ultra party merely apes Stalinist practice. The purpose: to form a neo-Fascist international under Muscovite influence, ideally like the Communist parties in Stalin’s day. The ultimate motivation, however, is not so much world domination as hanging on forever to the treasure of the Cavern of the Forty Thieves. Remind you of anything?
Should anyone be surprised if Ali Baba’s today’s villain, just as the hero of the Robin Hood saga is no longer Robin but the Sheriff of Nottingham?
That said, isn’t it more to the point for Americans to deal with the bird in the hand rather than bother so much with the bird in a distant bush. Bear in mind, too, that the Kremlin regime is in such desperate straits that Russians will soon be needing breathing permits. That back-to-the-wall situation is precisely what makes it so dangerous. Extreme hardening of the arteries, as in the last days of the Franco regime, but here multiplied by millions. (We thought that Franco or Ferdinand Marcos were corrupt… Peanuts!) In Russia today there’s a knee, virtual or real, for every neck, especially those of officials who’d dearly love to get the hell out and relax wherever they were wont to relax by the Med.
For everyone’s sake, I so wish their boss hadn’t boxed himself in like that, thereby consigning his country to vassalage to Beijing no doubt more shackling by far than the onetime Tartar tribute.
But then, I’m a silly European. One with a global outlook. In an age long since given over to frog-down-a-well misleaders…
In the excerpt above, the source for information on European attitudes was '... the German Marshall Fund (GMF)' and the information was subsequently reported in The Washington Post.
On Manchin - If he is really trying to protect the filibuster because he believes democrats will be the minority party again soon, doesn’t he see the clear signs that republicans will scrap it as soon as they regain power? Either he’s naive or he’s bought and paid for.
All he has to do is look at what they did with regards to appointing a Supreme Court judge. His reticence to eliminate the filibuster, or even vote for this vital piece of legislation could ultimately be responsible for the loss of voting rights, and, with that, our democracy.
I will say that it was not scrapped during the former President’s administration and McConnell was as determined then to preserve it as Manchin is being now.
But things have drastically changed with Republicans since then - for example, not being willing to investigate January 6 and state legislatures openly supporting voter suppression. Having lost in 2020, Republicans have determined never to be out of power again. Why would they keep the filibuster?
Because the proper use of it is incredibly important in a democracy. Regardless of the players. The legislative branch must be bipartisan to work effectively FOR THE PEOPLE.
I agree. But sad to say the Republicans are showing absolutely NO respect for democracy. Do you think McConnell would pledge to keep the filibuster if they take power in 2022. And would you believe him?
I can only report that I read he fought Trump’s insistence on getting rid of the filibuster every step of the way. And succeeded. I’m sure he is patting himself on the back now. Same as Manchin now.
kick him out of the party, let Mitch run the senate, and run REAL democrats against Manchin and several other fake dems who will not back the party when it counts.
Real Democrats lose when they run against Manchin, as we saw last year. The amount of money behind that weasel since the Citizens United decision, and the amount of FOX News on in WV households and diners, and the level of education available in its schools—these things together constitute the abyss into which democracy is now staring. WV thinks of itself as life-or-death dependent on the fossil fuels that are killing us and extinguishing life forms across the globe.
"Autocratic leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin, have said that democracy is obsolete and autocracy is the form of government that will dominate the future." I am at the moment reading (or audibling - if there is such a word) STRONG MEN by Ruth Ben Ghiat. It scares the pants off me (but we call them trousers over here!). The pattern she describes of the Mussolini/Hitler era seems so very familiar in the (now) Trump/Putin?Xi era. Democracy, on both sides of the pond, is fragile but is (for all its faults) something we should fight very hard to keep.
Yes to your message, and YES to "Audibling"!
I call it "ear reading."
Yes, Richard B (Norfolk, UK). I've hear of Ruth Ben Ghiat's "STRONG MEN'. Ben Franklin told America that democracy is the best government, if we can keep it. What we saw from 2016 - 2020 in the White House is a prime example of autocracy, and we see it in many other countries, e.g., Brazil, India, Phillipines, Russia, China, Indonesia, Israel, etc. Perhaps even the Tories in the UK. We must not be silent and let them take over.
I watched the Kennedy Center awards last night. It was terrific. Three things stood out to me. First was that Joan Baez's guest was Officer Fanone. Seeing him next to her was inspiring. https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/national/capitol-riots/joan-baez-mike-fanone-unlikely-friendship-capitol-riots/65-148177e5-758a-4297-baf8-5c98849a20d6
Second was the visual of Joe Manchin singing along with "We Shall Overcome". It made me so angry. I know that the show was taped last month, but still, seeing him singing the song was so jarring in light of his current stance was disgusting. Third, the segment on Joan made me melancholy. She spent her whole life rallying people for social justice and against the war...so many of us were inspired by her songs....and to realize that 50 years later we are still fighting for the same things. I must admit to tears rolling down my cheeks.
I'm signing on for another year already, June 11th....confident of the future that we'll see together. It's been quite a tumultous ride already but easier and more interesting because Heather is with us and we can discuss, comfort and inspire each other and act together each according to their means and capacity.
Thank you, Stuart. Your contributions to this substack's commentary are obviously substantial and your perspective from across the Atlantic invaluable. I also applaud your making the decision public to the forum, as others have also done recently. This in itself is an encouragement to all sincere subscribers and concerned (active) citizens.
Every day, Biden shows he is The Man For This Time.
When challenged by President Biden's statement that democracy can react as fast as autocracies, I'm considering that one thing that has to happen is the judiciary and the courts must act a lot faster. Instead of expanding the one Supreme Court, maybe we need several Supreme Courts each hearing different classes of cases. The bill to expedite Congressional subpoenas to the top court is perhaps a move in that direction.
I like that idea!! Instead of making it larger and more unyielding, let’s double the output.
Yes, and WOW!
Posting this again as it still seems relevant. From The Midnight Special on WFMT radio in Chicago this weekend.
"D-Day Dodgers"
"If you look around the mountains in the mud and rain
See the scattered crosses some which have no name
Heart break and toil and suffering gone
The boys beneath them linger on
They are the D-Day Dodgers
Who stayed in Italy"
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-Day_Dodgers
This "D-Day Dodgers" song sarcastically calls out the lack of attention to Allied troops overlooked for their work in Italy while attention was on troops landing in Normandy. Turns out some were more than overlooked. Canadian troops were close to liberating Rome, but were ordered to halt by American commanders so the Americans could march into Rome and get the credit.
https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=Awr9GjGWvL1g204AQAtXNyoA;_ylu=Y29sbwNncTEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZANDMTg2Ml8xBHNlYwNwaXZz?p=D-Day+Dodgers&fr2=piv-web&fr=crmas#action=view&id=8&vid=4365a62cb31d0a4cedc446eaf5ca3bc6
Amen. The Allied forces had already battled and suffered immensely for 18 months before D-Day Normandy.
"Canadian troops were close to liberating Rome, but were ordered to halt by American commanders..." Actually, it was only one American commander--General Mark Clark, commander of American 5th Army. In his search for glory, he became known by many of his troops and allies as "General Marcus Aurelius Clarkus". He was a good soldier overall (e.g., in training troops as well as organizing and planning exercises), but he overstepped and made a bad decision in overriding his commander's (General Sir Harold Alexander, CG of 15th Army Group) orders and went to Rome. My father was an American officer on Alexander's staff (part of the Anglo-American alliance), and he felt that Alexander "was the finest soldier in WWII."
It's strange how many Americans believe that D-Day was the ultimate battle in WWII. They know nothing or pay no attention to how the Anglo-American soldiers had been battling for 18 months before that, battling across all of North Africa, then Sicily, and finally from the southern tip of Italy up to Rome before D-Day Normandy even took place. No one in the European war battled harder than the Allied forces in Italy fighting through one mountain range after another as they chased the Germans north. In the 5-month battle for Monte Cassino alone, the Allies suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties as they fought top German units, such as the German First Parachute Division.
Thank you, Heather! Correction -- $3 billion should be $3 trillion for the infrastructure and education. :)
6 things that need to be done to stop Republicans from killing our democracy:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/06/06/six-point-plan-stop-republicans-anti-democratic-moves/
Excellent article! Thank you for sharing.
Everyday I see people asking "What can we do?" and invariably help is offered in the form "join *this* group, join *that* group. It's not inherently bad to do that because it can get people engaged but when look at the left from 30,000 feet you see a Venn diagram of non-converging circles. Every group wants to be the *one* who vanquished the right. There is no overlapping, coordination even cooperation between them, but they all flood your mailbox with requests for money with the promise "we can fix it". The results are overall dismal.
Until we can gel we live in right wing hell. Margaret Meade was right about change starts in small groups but it only
happens in large numbers. Sorry for the split post.
This is only available to subscribers
"This agreement is a huge deal. If accepted, it would stop countries from trying to attract multinational businesses by cutting taxes on them, a so-called “race to the bottom” that reduces the amount of tax money available for public investment while pumping money into the largest multinational corporations." Then, a few paragraphs later: "International treaties require a two-thirds majority in the Senate to pass, and Republicans, who have vowed to oppose any tax increases, are unlikely to approve." To put it mildly.
Or in short, this is not a "huge deal. " It's idle chatter. If Biden keeps coming up with lovely schemes while refusing to dump the filibuster or get Manchin and Sinema in line, Prof. Richardson had best start taking a less starry-eyed view of his hopey-changey thing. I'm starting to lose confidence in her, despite my deep gratitude for her help in getting us through the Slough of Despond last year.
People first. Consideration for corporations later. If the G7 can do this, they shore up democracies.
Exactly. Strong democracies means strong allies. “Biden recognizes that we are at a defining moment in world history. In his op-ed, he asks: “Can democracies come together to deliver real results for our people in a rapidly changing world? Will the democratic alliances and institutions that shaped so much of the last century prove their capacity against modern-day threats and adversaries?”
Autocratic leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin, have said that democracy is obsolete and autocracy is the form of government that will dominate the future. Biden is dedicating his presidency to the defense of democracy. Can democracy stand firm in the modern day?” ❤️❤️ Thank you 81,283,485 Biden voters. Let’s make sure we keep it!! People are doing the work. All hands on deck! Despair will “suck your circuits dry”.
Thank you, Christy!
Morning, Christy!! Wow that 81+ million number looks great in print!
Good morning Lynell! 😁😁❤️ I start my day with it every day and often the album of photos I have saved of people standing in lines for hours to exercise their right to having a voice/vote. I am so grateful!!! I cannot wrap my head around the alternative. I truly think it would have killed me.
I am grateful, too, Christy!
Biden has no power to dump the filibuster or get Manchin and Sinema in line.
Three cheers for the 3 branches of our government, separated from each other as they are. Thanks, Michael! I think Dr. R does a fine job of reflecting the realities of today. Not once have I ever heard (or read) her promise any of us a rose garden
The Dems only have to win the 2022 election....massively and thus merit their name despite republican efforts to the contrary....and then they set things right. If the people want democracy, they are going to have to make an effort to keep it as that's what democracy is all about. It's the only thing that the GOP rump will understand. The rest is "pissing in the wind".
Agreed, fully and emphatically - 2022 is the key.
From my ouija board.
Come midterms, i think that it’s likely the Republicans will, once again, control the Congress. Their victory will be the result of a mix of the control of state governments , voter suppression, gerrymandering, increased voter turnout to throw out the ‘socialists’, and foreign interference. Can a state legislature overturn the popular vote? We shall see.
Then to the mix, add record setting budget deficits, higher inflation, high gas prices , a nationwide increase in violent crime and porous borders.
Not looking real good.
There is a difference between reduced optimism and Harry's outright pessimism. I think there is a better shot at passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Bill than the more encompassing For The People Act. That's where Manchin will play ball and where negotiations should start. If that doesn't work, a massive Democratic victory in 2022 as Stuart Attewell mentions above (or below or wherever on here) will be needed to "set things right." And an anticipated SCOTUS decision reducing women's rights might be the impetus for a massive turnout of Democratic voters, even extending to victories in State legislatures, which are crux of the problem.
Very true, Jack. In the end of the day, what will screw the Trumpites even with their electoral shenanigens is a massive turnout in person. The result has to be beyond question.
Yes.
Harry, much as i appreciate your reasons for pessimism, i cannot permit myself to share it. Optimism is all very fine but its not that either. There comes a time when you have to draw a line, say stop and act rather than debate. If the Dems don't succeed my freedom in France will disappear too as it won't stop at your borders. The Dems must not just try, they must succeed or we are all dead in the water..including you!
The arguements about budget deficits is so much hot air to my mind as all governments will be doing it and inflation might initially spike because of the covid cris but won't last as their is plenty of spare capacity in the economy. Higher gas prices....not much as Opec will be falling over themselves to cheat on their quotas as they are all hurting. Increased violent crime? Well...you've had it for some time and so have we. Biden is more likely to do something rational about it than the opposition. You can't go on locking up twice as many people than anyone else. The causes are going to have to be addressed. We are talking prevention.
Not looking good its true. Time to get up and act to change things.
And I shall use my vote and money to save our democracy.
Here's a link from a financial guru that I follow, with particular emphasis on inflation. As for the rest...time will tell but I have high hopes! https://creativeplanning.com/education/letter/inflation/?utm_source=pardot&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20210605_inflation
Thanks for sharing this, Lynell.
Inheriting Trumps mess isn’t helpful.
Yes, Stuart. And I believe it can be done in spite of all the voter suppression laws!
This time, Lynell, there is no question of "trying" . The Dems succeed or they are dead...perhaps even literally. It concentrates the mind somewhat. The GOP must be shown that the people are stronger than them. Then the law can deal with them.
Stuart, my mind is expanded. Game on. Sycophants are weak when it comes right down to it. I like our odds.
Labella how are they supposed to do that with over 400 voter suppression laws passed or passing in 20021 alone?
Whenever I despair, I think John Lewis, MLK, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Rev. Dr. William Barber (The Poor Peoples Campaign), W.E.B. DuBois, Maya Angelou, Sojourner Truth, Thurgood Marshall, James Baldwin, Opal Tometi (BLM co-founder), James Rucker (Color of Change), Kimberlé Crenshaw (professor of law), Alicia Garza (BLM co-founder), Patrisse Cullors (prison abolitionist and BLM co-founder), Stacey Abrams... I think Wilmington, NC 1898, Tulsa, OK (1921), Rosewood, FL 1923, Atlanta, GA 1906, Chicago, IL 1919, Washington, DC 1919... Many died but many rose up. Many are still here, never giving up.
Sorry Lynell (not ‘Labella’!), my iPhone has a mind of its own today.
I think you are too young to remember strong Democratic presidents and how they operate in a national crisis. Of course he has the power to get Manchin and Sinema in line. As much power surely as the minority leader of the Senate has to get his people in line! Manchin is not a man of principle and Sinema is an egregious shifter in the wind. But Biden loves the filibuster. He is saving it fir a rainy day—as we sit here in a cloudburst, watching the death of democracy at the brink of the greatest period of chaos and devastation the planet and thus the human world has ever experienced.
"Of course he has the power..." Umm. No, he doesn't. He doesn't even have the necessary influence, especially in West Virginia. On what do you base this claim?
Scott, you are correct. He doesn't, nor does the Democratic Party with the razor thin lead. Frankly, we really are dead even and the GOP is holding all the cards. I remember when Biden won and so many people thought this was the next coming of Christ. I think they are realizing 2020 did nothing more than stave off the GOP for 2 years.
Yes, that is the fear. FWIW, re: LBJ comparisons. Leaving aside any characterological comparisons, after the 1964 elections, Democrats held the most lopsided majorities in both houses of Congress since the New Deal (1936). That made passing needed legislation a great deal easier for Johnson than for Biden's situation.
Actually, I'm 70 and have been closely attuned to national politics since my high school days. I would argue that the power dynamics have changed in Washington. For example, the leaders in the House and Senate, while wielding significant clout, aren't as powerful as some of their predecessors in the '60s and '70s. And Biden is no LBJ. Big money is also far more influential today.
Mr Bales, you seem to be looking for a fight. Yes, that's exactly my point, Biden is no LBJ! How do you be LBJ? Given the right conditions, you be it. Biden's been longer in DC, has more Friends In High Places, and far more executive power than LBJ did when he became president. He doesn't want to be it. He likes the filibuster, is too used to power to imagine what it's like to be the people who are losing it hand over fist: i.e. us in general but especially Black and indigenous Americans. He can't face or just doesn't get the degree of trouble we're in. But no, we do disagree on one point: we've never had as powerful a leader in the Senate as Mitch McConnell--who somehow manages to remain in control despite being in the minority. If you're 70, and so much smarter than me, you should know that.
I knew when I said something less than adoring about Prof. Richardson's powers of perception I'd get in trouble on this list, and I have. But I thought it should be said nonetheless, as the dissonance in her letter was so striking. She's an academic, we're used to prodding and being prodded by each other to think harder. I've been told (though not by Mr. Bales) not to say things here like she is wrong, or I disagree, despite my repeated protestations of respect and admiration for her powers as a historian. That scares me. I suspect it may unsettle Professor Richardson as well.
Chiming in here… “Mr Bales, you seem to be looking for a fight.” 😳😳😳 he’s stating an opinion. You stated your opinion. Why is it you see him as “looking for a fight”. If you feel you have a right to offer a contrary opinion, how is it that if he offers his, “he’s looking for a fight??” Like I’ve said before here, it cuts both ways. In no way was he disrespectful. You have every right to speak your opinion, but don’t expect people to silence their reaction to your opinion. People are here because they benefit from being here and so yes you will find a great deal of love for the Professor. I don’t understand why that wouldn’t be expected. My opinion about who is here “looking for a fight” is not in agreement with yours. That said I have a lot of respect for many of your comments I have seen here.
Thank you, Christy. I am in no way looking for a fight, especially in this most civil of forums. Also, another point in the discussion: the media landscape has changed remarkably. Today, struggles like the one involving Manchin and Sinema play out 24/7 across the media spectrum, including on cable stations with distinct political points of view. In the '60s and '70s, a president strong-arming a member of Congress might never have been publicized. Now we have Manchin milking this to his advantage in the most public way. Because of the power he holds, given the thinnest of margins in the Senate, he doesn't fear bucking what Biden and other Democrats want. What's not public is what he might be demanding in return for his support.
Christy I thought he was looking for a fight because he objected to my point when it was exactly the same as his! Biden is no LBJ. Our opinion is THE SAME. As we agree, why did he chide me?
And isn’t it clear from my constant harping on my gratitude to and admiration for Professor Richardson that I am on her side too? I have had occasion to disagree with or point out fuzzy arguments made by many people I respect, am fond of, even love. For me, love and agreement are quite separate. I know Prof Richardson can do better than this letter because I read her lettersevery day, and my right to point out fuzzy thinking exists in part because we all need each other’s help to arrive at clarity. This is a very important crisis we’re in and Senator Manchin has just told us all, in writing, that hope alone is not going to save our democracy. Because he has the power, as long as the boss of his party (Biden) doesn’t stop him, to block the path of every single big bill the Democrats have spent the last few desperate years creating for when the moment came that we had the votes to bring the Senate along. Here it is, and McConnell and Manchin have teamed up to stop them. Complacency and optimism seem to me out of place when what is needed is a roused and active electorate. So, that’s my answer. As her fellow academic I would like the sane, kind and brilliant professor to pay attention to and think about the places where she contradicts herself. That is how we were all trained to push our thinking—at the sites of contradiction.
Mary, you are always free to say whatever you like about Professor Richardson. As long as it's factual. The same for anyone else here. You won't be hurting her feelings, I doubt that she reads anything we write. It's just a sounding board she set up for us.
Not direct power, but do not discount influence.
Mary, I respectfully disagree with the last two sentences of your post. Heather is reporting on current events and I'm not sensing a starry-eyed view at all. I've always thought she's pretty unbiased and I maintain that posture. She's not a game-changer and doesn't purport to be one; she's a person who understands history and provides subtle "warnings" on the potential course of the current political landscape, using relevant history to compare today and yesteryear. If you're starting to lose confidence in her, perhaps it's that you're really losing confidence in outcomes you're hoping for. I think we all share that type of feeling, especially with Sunday's news from Manchin that he will oppose the voting bill and changes to the filibuster rules. That's not Heather's fault; her role as scribe is to bring you the "news" and then it's up to you to do something about it. There appear to be ample opportunities on this site to get involved in advancing democratic programs and denouncing Trump and the despicables (love that word) who follow him. In other words, don't get down on Heather so much; she's only the messenger.
Agree wholeheartedly, Dennis. Thanks.
Yep.
No in fact I’ve been losing confidence in her ability to see what’s at stake and what these self-abandoned politicians are up to for months. She is a terrific historian, but she is an optimist, which is a more possible hole for successful, financially comfortable White people to fall into than for others. The logical fallacy my pair of quotations from her letter reveals is the optimist at work, not the keenly analytical historian. I am and will always be grateful to her for watching out for us during a time of awful trauma. But the trauma is not over, and she seems more often to be confronting it with the intellectually weak resource of optimism. You don’t have to agree, nor does she! But I am not alone in my disappointment. And I have every right to express it here.
Of course you have every right to express yourself here or anywhere else. And no, the trauma is not over; in fact, I think it's worsening. As for Heather showing optimism, yes, I see that come through occasionally but only occasionally. And frankly, what would you prefer, a little optimism optimism or chronic negativity? I'll go for optimism, because it does tend to give people a feeling of hope, snd perhaps motivate them to get involved in changing what's wrong. Who the heck wants to grouse all the time? Not me. I'll be honest with you, I wish the Democrats would stop being so nice in this whole mess but I do believe Biden is playing his cards close to the vest, which is smart for a man in his position. (Aren't you glad Trump isn't in office giving his daily moronic, lie-filled rants?) If Biden would start calling out Trump by name, Trump would respond a hundred-fold and try to make Biden look like a total schlump. Then the media will play up what Trump is doing, Trump gets the limelight he craves, and Trump's legions will feel even more emboldened, blah, blah, blah. This is a wicked game going on right now on multiple fronts. Heather supplies me with information and facts. I use that information to research the topics further and then I form my own opinions. I have never been one to consider optimism a "intellectually weak resource." Quite to the contrary, optimism has done many positive things for me in my personal and professional lives. You can bitch about things all you want; where's it going to get you? Maybe you and I have different backgrounds; I really don't know. I'm the son of a steelworker and a third-grade teacher, both of whom encouraged me to make my own decisions in life, after I've considered the pros and cons of whatever situation I was in. I've formed my own opinions about people and really despise bigots and racism. This is off-point and I'll end this by saying that perhaps you should just read Heather's columns for their content and not pay too much attention to analyzing the author. I'm damn glad she's consistently unbiased, or I'd never pay five bucks a month to read her columns and peoples' comments.
Leaves those obstructionists in a really bad place. It makes more obvious how much our “we the people vote” really matters. What needs to change is the lies and the propaganda so more voters can see the truth of what enables prosperity and stand up for it.
why would the US senate care if foreign countries agree to tax international corporations at a uniform rate? this would not seem to fall into any category of tax increase that they are concerned about.
IMHO, the R's in the Senate are following McConnell's lead-Oppose, Oppose, Oppose ANY Dem's idea, no matter the cost to the American people.
The only Democratic legislation McConnell just might support would be a bill preventing the elimination of toilet paper from the Senators' restrooms. Or would he oppose that as well, instructing Republican Senators to "bring their own," a right they already have?
Indeed, Jack. We'll have to come up with something else he might be inclined to support. Too funny!
Time will tell. Be prepared to eat your hat!