Because of your dauntless work on behalf of…us - us ninety-nine percenters plus one, Our Republic, there’s a bead of sanity making its way through…Us.
You’ve lost sleep, family and other personal time for Us. For this Nation. I have learned history, assimilated current events and understood news relative to historical context. I’ve amassed an almost academic knowledge of how to view current events through historic perspective.
I never cottoned to history until your letters. History was never offered as a gift to me, it was offered in an almost obelisk, impersonal, formidable and monolithic manner.
Until your letters, I never understood I had permission to understand politics without being a politician or a scholar.
You’ve almost single handedly homogenized the concept of historical context. You’ve made history a friend.
The Professor is a person for her country. It shows in every way she offers herself and her time. Her generosity overwhelms me sometimes. She’s a remarkable lady. We’re lucky to have her. We’re lucky she loves her subject matter so deeply.
Whether you take it from Edmund Burke, George Santayana or Winston Churchill, "Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” The work of HCR, along with that of others who teach it, reduces the number of those to whom that aphorism applies.
Patty, We are so lucky to have found someone in HCR who has a passion for history and the loves sharing that passion. Thanks for your beautiful letter.
I agree with you wholeheartedly, Patty. I love the way Heather explains it so clearly — and I wish my high school social history had done this! I have never understood so well until I began reading Heather - about 18 months ago. Love it!
Thank you Patty, for stating so eloquently the gratitude I hold so deeply for the Professor. We are all better for being able to read and listen. She has been my lifeline
HCR, May I call you captain today? Thank you for posting this exquisite photo, and thank you to whomever took it -- could it have been you, Heather? Its quietness is stirred by the reflection on the water with the treetops pointing to the sky. I relish the picture's whisper of life in the cold and wish to call you captain for your quiet determination through a sea of questions.
I Have a Rendezvous With Life
Countee Cullen - 1903-1946
I have a rendezvous with Life,
In days I hope will come,
Ere youth has sped, and strength of mind,
Ere voices sweet grow dumb.
I have a rendezvous with Life,
When Spring's first heralds hum.
Sure some would cry it's better far
To crown their days with sleep
Than face the road, the wind and rain,
To heed the calling deep.
Though wet nor blow nor space I fear,
Yet fear I deeply, too,
Lest Death should meet and claim me ere
I keep Life's rendezvous.
Born on May 30, 1903, in New York City, Countee Cullen was one of the most important voices of the Harlem Renaissance
Enjoying a few minutes of contentment on a quiet Saturday night after a weekend of family togetherness. First time we’ve all been together in 16 months. Was deliberately minus vaccine/political controversy. The Pacific NW is experiencing a respite from rain at the moment and I’m looking forward to meeting up with my best friend in the morning. Life is good!
You've had much more rain than we have in Portland, and it's been a wet November here. Sounds like much more rain is ahead for the NW in the next couple of days. Our relatives in Vancouver, BC are dealing with gas rationing because of the widespread highway damage from two big mega-storms earlier this month.
This Robert Hubbell article is in praise of HCR. It's a nice read.
November 29, 2021
Robert B. Hubbell
Nov 29
In the four days of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a lot happened. Let’s review.
Positive Economic News.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Labor Department released strong economic news that undercuts the widespread perception that the economy is struggling. Initial claims for unemployment fell to pre-pandemic levels; indeed, the number of jobless claims was lower than any time since 1969! That good news followed an announcement earlier in the month that the U.S. added 531,000 jobs in October and the unemployment rate fell to 4.6%. Earlier job gains for the summer months were also revised substantially upward after initial reports suggested only modest job growth. See NYTimes, “Hiring figures for August and September were revised upward by 235,000, bringing the three-month average for job growth to 442,000.” Professor Heather Cox Richardson summarized the situation nicely in her November 27, 2021 blog,
Under Biden, the U.S. has recovered economically from the pandemic faster than other nations that did not invest as heavily in stimulus. In March 2021, the Democrats passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan stimulus package to rebuild the economy, and it has worked spectacularly. Real gross domestic product growth this quarter is expected to be 5%, and the stock market has hit new highs, as did Black Friday sales yesterday. Two thirds of Americans are content with their household’s financial situation.
The pandemic tangled supply chains both because of shortages and because Americans have shifted spending away from restaurants and services and toward consumer goods. The Biden administration mobilized workers, industry leaders, and port managers to clear the freight piled on wharves. In the past three weeks, the number of containers sitting on docks is down 33%—and shipping prices are down 25%. Major retailers Walmart, Target, and Home Depot all say they have plenty of inventory on hand for the holiday season.
If you don’t already subscribe to Professor Richardson’s blog, Letters from an American, you should. She is a national treasure and I refrain from quoting her because I fear I will simply repeat her analysis at length (as above). Her pre-Thanksgiving essay captures the essence of Biden’s accomplishments in the first nine months of his presidency. Read it and you will be buoyed.
Against that good economic news, the scolds at the Wall Street Journal declared that “Joe Biden Owns This Economy” which, in the Journal’s view, consists of inflation and nothing more. Tell that to the 519,000 workers who found jobs in October!
Democratic leadership has finally acknowledged they have failed at messaging and are vowing to fix the problem. See The Hill, “With Build Back Better, Dems aim to correct messaging missteps.” Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney is urging his House colleagues to hold more than 1,000 “Build Back Better events” that focus on the benefits of the bill rather than the price tag. Maloney also presented House Democrats with internal polling that showed only a 2% GOP advantage in battleground states for 2022—a margin that can be overcome with hard work and better execution. So, don’t give up hope. Rather, become part of the solution by volunteering to help get out the vote, registering new voters, donating, and being a positive influence on others!
Jury convicts three defendants for murder of Ahmaud Arbery.
A jury in Brunswick, Georgia, convicted three defendants of murdering Ahmaud Arbery. The defendants used their pickup trucks to chase Ahmaud as he jogged through a residential neighborhood. One defendant was convicted of first-degree murder (“malice murder”) and eight other counts, while the other defendants were convicted of felony murder, assault, and false imprisonment. The verdict represented the triumph of justice over racism. Ahmaud was killed by three white men. As explained in a summary from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, when Ahmaud was killed, the local District Attorney, who is white, instructed police to refrain from arresting the defendants because one of them (Greg McMichael) had previously worked for her. Per the LDF,
The District Attorney was later arrested and indicted for obstructing a police officer and violating her oath as a public officer. In total, it took 74 days for Travis McMichael and Gregory McMichael to be arrested after they killed Mr. Arbery.
But the unconscionable efforts to insulate the defendants from criminal liability arising from the killing an unarmed, innocent Black man did not end there. Although 60% of the population in Brunswick, Georgia is Black, eleven of the jurors were white, and only one was Black. (The county in which Brunswick is located is 26% Black.) The judge stated that he believed the makeup of the jury was the result of ‘intentional discrimination’ but declared that he was powerless to prevent the trial from proceeding before a jury that the defense tainted by using race to exclude members from the jury.
Despite the obstacles to justice, the jury found each of the defendants guilty of some form of murder. (An explanation of the complicated verdicts can be found here, in Vox.) The defendants argued that they acted in self-defense under a “citizens arrest law” enacted during the slavery era in Georgia. That statute was repealed in the wake of Ahmaud Arbery’s murder. As explained in Dan Rather’s excellent essay in his blog, Steady, “A Jury for America - by Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner,” the verdict represents progress because “even in a small town in the South, the racial realities aren’t what they once were.” Rather then includes a hopeful description of what happens when Americans hear evidence that is untainted by political spin and party tribalism:
We know that all the jurors in the Arbery case, no matter their backgrounds, heard the same evidence and came to the same conclusions. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. I don’t know what each of them thinks of the notion of “critical race theory.” I don’t know if they voted for Barack Obama or Donald Trump. I don’t know if they think voting laws are too strict or too permissive. I don’t know if they want their children to read Toni Morrison. I don’t know what they think about all the cultural and political storms that are pulling our country apart. I just know that they looked into the eyes of three white men and said they did not have any right to murder Ahmaud Arbery.
Compared to the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse in a case that was more difficult to prove and less skillfully prosecuted, the convictions of the murderers of Ahmaud Arbery should rekindle our faith in a cornerstone of our democracy...edited
Concluding Thoughts.
Over the holiday, when readers should have been tending to family and friends, some of you were reading the latest entries in the cheap journalistic genre of “disaster prediction.” I won’t link to the articles that were forwarded to me over the four-day weekend (because I don’t want to reward the journalists who have resorted to alarmist clickbait), but I will share an insight sparked by one of the articles.
Among the many things about which the media is excoriating Democrats is their supposed lack of discipline and unity. The usual pablum includes a recitation of the lengthy and painful negotiations over the Build Back Better legislation. “Progressives” are cast as villains who just don’t know when to accept “Yes” for an answer.
It is true that Democrats are engaged in vigorous internal struggles over landmark legislation. But those struggles are a sign that the party is still a vital and functioning organization. Among Democrats, there is room for debate, disagreement, and even intransigence. The ability to tolerate and accommodate widely disparate viewpoints is the very definition of a healthy party. Or, rather, it should be, but the commentariat is pillorying Democrats for having the nerve to disagree in public.
Those same critics ignore the fact the GOP has collapsed into a cult of personality. Sure, the GOP brooks no dissent, but that is because it has surrendered to a president who attempted a coup to remain in power. Under Trump, the GOP has abandoned all principle and stands for nothing except retaining power for power’s sake. The trains run on time in the Republican Party, but is that good? Hardly. But among many commentators, party discipline is portrayed as virtuous without regard to the policies (or lack thereof) that animate such discipline. History is full of disastrous consequences of party discipline unmoored from morality.
Republicans in the House voted in lockstep against censuring Paul Gosar for depicting the killing of a member of Congress. That is a sign of depravity, cowardice and dysfunction that is barely mentioned by political commentators. But the intra-party fight among Democrats over which families should receive the Child Tax Credit is viewed by the same commentators as a sign of dysfunction and impending defeat of epic proportions. The double standard is so thick it is viscous.
Here’s my suggestion. Ignore the clickbait masquerading as highbrow political commentary. If you want an objective, fact-based description of the state of the Democratic Party in the first year of Joe Biden’s presidency, go back and read Heather Cox Richardson’s pre-Thanksgiving essay, which concludes as follows:
Has the Biden administration accomplished anything? It has created a sea change in our country, rebuilding its strength by orienting the government away from the supply-side economics that led lawmakers to protect the interests of the wealthy, and toward the far more traditional focus on building the economy by supporting regular Americans.
This week SCOTUS takes up the Mississippi abortion law. I worry that women will lose the right to determine their own health needs. I worry how we will respond when Roe vs Wade is revoked. I worry that we will return to back alley abortions. And, I'm sure SCOTUS will not deliver their ruling until the end of their session so they slink away. Why can't men let us take care of ourselves?
They “can” Pam but they “won’t“. At least the older generations of men aren’t willing to give up their power over women. I’m hopeful my children’s generation of men will be.
Clarence Thomas, avowed Roe hater, is not in step with the majority of Republican women from what I've read. Will overturning Roe be a single issue wedge weapon for Democrats to use in 2022/24. It may be the only way to keep control of the WH and Congress. With veto proof majorities a newer better law could arise.
People forget Republicans have been wrong on may of the social issues they tried to use. See Perry Bacon Jr's article above for the complete list.
Christopher, I believe you are correct that overturning Roe will become a major issue in 2022. Will rethuglican women stand up to vote Roe haters out of office? Not so sure about that.
Another photo that transports me. I can almost hear the water lapping against the rocky shore. Instant relaxation. I wonder how long until the lake is framed in deep snow.
There’s very little we know for sure about Omicron, the Covid variant first detected in South Africa that has caused tremors of panic as winter approaches. That’s actually good news. Fast, honest work by South Africa has allowed the world to get on top of this variant even while clinical and epidemiological data is scarce.
So let’s get our act together now. Omicron, which early indicators suggest could be more transmissible even than Delta and more likely to cause breakthrough infections, may arrive in the United States soon if it’s not here already.
A dynamic response requires tough containment measures to be modified quickly as evidence comes in, as well as rapid data collection to understand the scope of the threat.
Vaccine manufacturers should also immediately begin developing vaccines specifically for Omicron.
The United States, the European Union and many nations have already announced a travel ban on several African countries. Such restrictions can buy time, even if the variant has started to spread, but only if they are implemented in a smart way along with other measures, not as pandemic theatrics.
The travel ban from several southern African countries announced by President Biden on Friday exempts American citizens and permanent residents, other than requiring them to be tested. But containment needs to target the pathogen, not the passports. As a precaution, travel should be restricted for both foreign nationals and U.S. citizens from countries where the variant is known to be spreading more widely until we have more clarity.
We need stricter testing regimes involving multiple tests over time and even quarantine requirements for all travelers according to the incubation period determined by epidemiological data. We also need more intensive and widespread testing and tracing to cut off the spread of the variant. This means finally getting the sort of mass testing program that the United States has avoided and which has been part of successful responses to Covid in other countries.
If we aren’t willing to do all that, there is little point in a blanket ban on a few nationalities.
I see the Snowflake symbol on the weather map for a lot of you. Mask up and get supplies before it comes. We get Snowbirds. Looking at HCR photos I wish I could be just a Snowbird. So beautiful there.I’m glad she has such a peaceful , tranquil place to rest her spirt and Reboot.The sharing of good Sense and Serenity is in short supply these days of late. But here, the Cornucopia of LFAA sustains us much. How I wish though quiet could last longer than a slumber.
What a stunning picture. Love the red-leafed tree in the midst of the somber late-fall landscape. I’m seeing it as a symbol of hope, love and all good things in the midst of the impending dark and cold of winter. The leaves will eventually drop but the tree will hunker down for the winter and sprout new leaves next spring. Hope springs eternal! I’m grateful for this community of thoughtful people who give me hope that our country will survive as a flourishing democracy when this dark winter of pandemic and strife is over.
My greatest thanks this year, I offer to you.
Because of your dauntless work on behalf of…us - us ninety-nine percenters plus one, Our Republic, there’s a bead of sanity making its way through…Us.
You’ve lost sleep, family and other personal time for Us. For this Nation. I have learned history, assimilated current events and understood news relative to historical context. I’ve amassed an almost academic knowledge of how to view current events through historic perspective.
I never cottoned to history until your letters. History was never offered as a gift to me, it was offered in an almost obelisk, impersonal, formidable and monolithic manner.
Until your letters, I never understood I had permission to understand politics without being a politician or a scholar.
You’ve almost single handedly homogenized the concept of historical context. You’ve made history a friend.
Thank you. Humbly, I thank you.
Patty
“You’ve made history a friend.” Patty, I love that line. History is our friend even when it is ugly.
The Professor is a person for her country. It shows in every way she offers herself and her time. Her generosity overwhelms me sometimes. She’s a remarkable lady. We’re lucky to have her. We’re lucky she loves her subject matter so deeply.
She will be looked at as a States Woman in future history books… “if” democracy prevails.
😊 Yes. Even when it’s ugly.
Thank you, Patty, for summing up what many of us feel so beautifully!
Whether you take it from Edmund Burke, George Santayana or Winston Churchill, "Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” The work of HCR, along with that of others who teach it, reduces the number of those to whom that aphorism applies.
"History was never offered as a gift to me..."
Patty, We are so lucky to have found someone in HCR who has a passion for history and the loves sharing that passion. Thanks for your beautiful letter.
Such a tribute. A good week, Pj!
Thank you. A good week to us all.
Well said, Patty.
We’re so fortunate to have the opportunity become students with hearts for being taught.
Beautifully stated, Pj. Thank you.
We have ourselves to thank, I believe. We’re the fabric of the Professor’s community. Thank you!
I agree with you wholeheartedly, Patty. I love the way Heather explains it so clearly — and I wish my high school social history had done this! I have never understood so well until I began reading Heather - about 18 months ago. Love it!
Thank you Patty, for stating so eloquently the gratitude I hold so deeply for the Professor. We are all better for being able to read and listen. She has been my lifeline
Beautifully said! Thank you for putting in words what so many of us feel. ❤️
Patty!!! You hit the nail exactly! Thank you too for having the words.
Patty, thank you for your elegant statement!!!
Pj Jough-Haanjust now
You’re very welcome. We are truly U S in these letters. We are the fabric of what’s kind and thoughtful about our nation.
🤗🤗🤗
So beautifully said! Hear, hear!
HCR, May I call you captain today? Thank you for posting this exquisite photo, and thank you to whomever took it -- could it have been you, Heather? Its quietness is stirred by the reflection on the water with the treetops pointing to the sky. I relish the picture's whisper of life in the cold and wish to call you captain for your quiet determination through a sea of questions.
I Have a Rendezvous With Life
Countee Cullen - 1903-1946
I have a rendezvous with Life,
In days I hope will come,
Ere youth has sped, and strength of mind,
Ere voices sweet grow dumb.
I have a rendezvous with Life,
When Spring's first heralds hum.
Sure some would cry it's better far
To crown their days with sleep
Than face the road, the wind and rain,
To heed the calling deep.
Though wet nor blow nor space I fear,
Yet fear I deeply, too,
Lest Death should meet and claim me ere
I keep Life's rendezvous.
Born on May 30, 1903, in New York City, Countee Cullen was one of the most important voices of the Harlem Renaissance
Heather, please thank your family for so generously "sharing" you throughout this past Thanksgiving weekend. Grateful, we are.
Channeling Yoda, we are.
Oh, my, what a stunning photo. That lone red tree, standing strong.
The lone red tree caught my attention as well. Along with the water, the rocks, the houses…
Enjoying a few minutes of contentment on a quiet Saturday night after a weekend of family togetherness. First time we’ve all been together in 16 months. Was deliberately minus vaccine/political controversy. The Pacific NW is experiencing a respite from rain at the moment and I’m looking forward to meeting up with my best friend in the morning. Life is good!
More work to preserve democracy tomorrow!
Well, crap!! I mean Sunday.
You've had much more rain than we have in Portland, and it's been a wet November here. Sounds like much more rain is ahead for the NW in the next couple of days. Our relatives in Vancouver, BC are dealing with gas rationing because of the widespread highway damage from two big mega-storms earlier this month.
... and California is coping with dried up wells - Mendocino is importing bottled water!!
I’m lodging a complaint with the Weather Service. That rain was supposed to go to California. What gives?
This Robert Hubbell article is in praise of HCR. It's a nice read.
November 29, 2021
Robert B. Hubbell
Nov 29
In the four days of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a lot happened. Let’s review.
Positive Economic News.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Labor Department released strong economic news that undercuts the widespread perception that the economy is struggling. Initial claims for unemployment fell to pre-pandemic levels; indeed, the number of jobless claims was lower than any time since 1969! That good news followed an announcement earlier in the month that the U.S. added 531,000 jobs in October and the unemployment rate fell to 4.6%. Earlier job gains for the summer months were also revised substantially upward after initial reports suggested only modest job growth. See NYTimes, “Hiring figures for August and September were revised upward by 235,000, bringing the three-month average for job growth to 442,000.” Professor Heather Cox Richardson summarized the situation nicely in her November 27, 2021 blog,
Under Biden, the U.S. has recovered economically from the pandemic faster than other nations that did not invest as heavily in stimulus. In March 2021, the Democrats passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan stimulus package to rebuild the economy, and it has worked spectacularly. Real gross domestic product growth this quarter is expected to be 5%, and the stock market has hit new highs, as did Black Friday sales yesterday. Two thirds of Americans are content with their household’s financial situation.
The pandemic tangled supply chains both because of shortages and because Americans have shifted spending away from restaurants and services and toward consumer goods. The Biden administration mobilized workers, industry leaders, and port managers to clear the freight piled on wharves. In the past three weeks, the number of containers sitting on docks is down 33%—and shipping prices are down 25%. Major retailers Walmart, Target, and Home Depot all say they have plenty of inventory on hand for the holiday season.
If you don’t already subscribe to Professor Richardson’s blog, Letters from an American, you should. She is a national treasure and I refrain from quoting her because I fear I will simply repeat her analysis at length (as above). Her pre-Thanksgiving essay captures the essence of Biden’s accomplishments in the first nine months of his presidency. Read it and you will be buoyed.
Against that good economic news, the scolds at the Wall Street Journal declared that “Joe Biden Owns This Economy” which, in the Journal’s view, consists of inflation and nothing more. Tell that to the 519,000 workers who found jobs in October!
Democratic leadership has finally acknowledged they have failed at messaging and are vowing to fix the problem. See The Hill, “With Build Back Better, Dems aim to correct messaging missteps.” Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney is urging his House colleagues to hold more than 1,000 “Build Back Better events” that focus on the benefits of the bill rather than the price tag. Maloney also presented House Democrats with internal polling that showed only a 2% GOP advantage in battleground states for 2022—a margin that can be overcome with hard work and better execution. So, don’t give up hope. Rather, become part of the solution by volunteering to help get out the vote, registering new voters, donating, and being a positive influence on others!
Jury convicts three defendants for murder of Ahmaud Arbery.
A jury in Brunswick, Georgia, convicted three defendants of murdering Ahmaud Arbery. The defendants used their pickup trucks to chase Ahmaud as he jogged through a residential neighborhood. One defendant was convicted of first-degree murder (“malice murder”) and eight other counts, while the other defendants were convicted of felony murder, assault, and false imprisonment. The verdict represented the triumph of justice over racism. Ahmaud was killed by three white men. As explained in a summary from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, when Ahmaud was killed, the local District Attorney, who is white, instructed police to refrain from arresting the defendants because one of them (Greg McMichael) had previously worked for her. Per the LDF,
The District Attorney was later arrested and indicted for obstructing a police officer and violating her oath as a public officer. In total, it took 74 days for Travis McMichael and Gregory McMichael to be arrested after they killed Mr. Arbery.
But the unconscionable efforts to insulate the defendants from criminal liability arising from the killing an unarmed, innocent Black man did not end there. Although 60% of the population in Brunswick, Georgia is Black, eleven of the jurors were white, and only one was Black. (The county in which Brunswick is located is 26% Black.) The judge stated that he believed the makeup of the jury was the result of ‘intentional discrimination’ but declared that he was powerless to prevent the trial from proceeding before a jury that the defense tainted by using race to exclude members from the jury.
Despite the obstacles to justice, the jury found each of the defendants guilty of some form of murder. (An explanation of the complicated verdicts can be found here, in Vox.) The defendants argued that they acted in self-defense under a “citizens arrest law” enacted during the slavery era in Georgia. That statute was repealed in the wake of Ahmaud Arbery’s murder. As explained in Dan Rather’s excellent essay in his blog, Steady, “A Jury for America - by Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner,” the verdict represents progress because “even in a small town in the South, the racial realities aren’t what they once were.” Rather then includes a hopeful description of what happens when Americans hear evidence that is untainted by political spin and party tribalism:
We know that all the jurors in the Arbery case, no matter their backgrounds, heard the same evidence and came to the same conclusions. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. I don’t know what each of them thinks of the notion of “critical race theory.” I don’t know if they voted for Barack Obama or Donald Trump. I don’t know if they think voting laws are too strict or too permissive. I don’t know if they want their children to read Toni Morrison. I don’t know what they think about all the cultural and political storms that are pulling our country apart. I just know that they looked into the eyes of three white men and said they did not have any right to murder Ahmaud Arbery.
Compared to the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse in a case that was more difficult to prove and less skillfully prosecuted, the convictions of the murderers of Ahmaud Arbery should rekindle our faith in a cornerstone of our democracy...edited
Concluding Thoughts.
Over the holiday, when readers should have been tending to family and friends, some of you were reading the latest entries in the cheap journalistic genre of “disaster prediction.” I won’t link to the articles that were forwarded to me over the four-day weekend (because I don’t want to reward the journalists who have resorted to alarmist clickbait), but I will share an insight sparked by one of the articles.
Among the many things about which the media is excoriating Democrats is their supposed lack of discipline and unity. The usual pablum includes a recitation of the lengthy and painful negotiations over the Build Back Better legislation. “Progressives” are cast as villains who just don’t know when to accept “Yes” for an answer.
It is true that Democrats are engaged in vigorous internal struggles over landmark legislation. But those struggles are a sign that the party is still a vital and functioning organization. Among Democrats, there is room for debate, disagreement, and even intransigence. The ability to tolerate and accommodate widely disparate viewpoints is the very definition of a healthy party. Or, rather, it should be, but the commentariat is pillorying Democrats for having the nerve to disagree in public.
Those same critics ignore the fact the GOP has collapsed into a cult of personality. Sure, the GOP brooks no dissent, but that is because it has surrendered to a president who attempted a coup to remain in power. Under Trump, the GOP has abandoned all principle and stands for nothing except retaining power for power’s sake. The trains run on time in the Republican Party, but is that good? Hardly. But among many commentators, party discipline is portrayed as virtuous without regard to the policies (or lack thereof) that animate such discipline. History is full of disastrous consequences of party discipline unmoored from morality.
Republicans in the House voted in lockstep against censuring Paul Gosar for depicting the killing of a member of Congress. That is a sign of depravity, cowardice and dysfunction that is barely mentioned by political commentators. But the intra-party fight among Democrats over which families should receive the Child Tax Credit is viewed by the same commentators as a sign of dysfunction and impending defeat of epic proportions. The double standard is so thick it is viscous.
Here’s my suggestion. Ignore the clickbait masquerading as highbrow political commentary. If you want an objective, fact-based description of the state of the Democratic Party in the first year of Joe Biden’s presidency, go back and read Heather Cox Richardson’s pre-Thanksgiving essay, which concludes as follows:
Has the Biden administration accomplished anything? It has created a sea change in our country, rebuilding its strength by orienting the government away from the supply-side economics that led lawmakers to protect the interests of the wealthy, and toward the far more traditional focus on building the economy by supporting regular Americans.
What she said!
This week SCOTUS takes up the Mississippi abortion law. I worry that women will lose the right to determine their own health needs. I worry how we will respond when Roe vs Wade is revoked. I worry that we will return to back alley abortions. And, I'm sure SCOTUS will not deliver their ruling until the end of their session so they slink away. Why can't men let us take care of ourselves?
They “can” Pam but they “won’t“. At least the older generations of men aren’t willing to give up their power over women. I’m hopeful my children’s generation of men will be.
Clarence Thomas, avowed Roe hater, is not in step with the majority of Republican women from what I've read. Will overturning Roe be a single issue wedge weapon for Democrats to use in 2022/24. It may be the only way to keep control of the WH and Congress. With veto proof majorities a newer better law could arise.
People forget Republicans have been wrong on may of the social issues they tried to use. See Perry Bacon Jr's article above for the complete list.
Christopher, I believe you are correct that overturning Roe will become a major issue in 2022. Will rethuglican women stand up to vote Roe haters out of office? Not so sure about that.
Another photo that transports me. I can almost hear the water lapping against the rocky shore. Instant relaxation. I wonder how long until the lake is framed in deep snow.
I can feel the winter chill from here. Cover up and have a good sleepy time.
Rest well and sleep deep, precious Heather.
OPINION
ZEYNEP TUFEKCI
Omicron Is Coming. The U.S. Must Act Now.
Nov. 28, 2021
There’s very little we know for sure about Omicron, the Covid variant first detected in South Africa that has caused tremors of panic as winter approaches. That’s actually good news. Fast, honest work by South Africa has allowed the world to get on top of this variant even while clinical and epidemiological data is scarce.
So let’s get our act together now. Omicron, which early indicators suggest could be more transmissible even than Delta and more likely to cause breakthrough infections, may arrive in the United States soon if it’s not here already.
A dynamic response requires tough containment measures to be modified quickly as evidence comes in, as well as rapid data collection to understand the scope of the threat.
Vaccine manufacturers should also immediately begin developing vaccines specifically for Omicron.
The United States, the European Union and many nations have already announced a travel ban on several African countries. Such restrictions can buy time, even if the variant has started to spread, but only if they are implemented in a smart way along with other measures, not as pandemic theatrics.
The travel ban from several southern African countries announced by President Biden on Friday exempts American citizens and permanent residents, other than requiring them to be tested. But containment needs to target the pathogen, not the passports. As a precaution, travel should be restricted for both foreign nationals and U.S. citizens from countries where the variant is known to be spreading more widely until we have more clarity.
We need stricter testing regimes involving multiple tests over time and even quarantine requirements for all travelers according to the incubation period determined by epidemiological data. We also need more intensive and widespread testing and tracing to cut off the spread of the variant. This means finally getting the sort of mass testing program that the United States has avoided and which has been part of successful responses to Covid in other countries.
If we aren’t willing to do all that, there is little point in a blanket ban on a few nationalities.
More: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/28/opinion/covid-omicron-travel-ban-testing.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuonUktbfqohlSVUZCybSRdkhrxqAwvPI3r0ww3j7LSOPTjAH0_4cHYWEvk3EY-9_asAv3jKUAt9dNbtlDNpD8thiBW0_AQ-5vsnD350fPyQ-rY_0BzM6h5iUA-t9oWPhZCzkd71ygbfksxnDPDbpDKHVhSUmIQo1soIlIQ_xoQEAxqrCGuNx2NJ7zK1hUsg8HWFcEXHM6_r4CBx-OMGFbgXc4mQ1W-JZXjLUmr2M-u5KMVUSWR-dEiQJsStr48hcOdgUIK7_MxYhHcL9ir4VAWBsR5y7XXDqmtazo205QtPkkuaEOQ&smid=url-share
Thank you for posting this.
Giving thanks for you and your calm eye and wisdom.
I see the Snowflake symbol on the weather map for a lot of you. Mask up and get supplies before it comes. We get Snowbirds. Looking at HCR photos I wish I could be just a Snowbird. So beautiful there.I’m glad she has such a peaceful , tranquil place to rest her spirt and Reboot.The sharing of good Sense and Serenity is in short supply these days of late. But here, the Cornucopia of LFAA sustains us much. How I wish though quiet could last longer than a slumber.
Already blanketed in a soft layer of snow, I wish you a night of deep and restful winter's sleep from VT.
Thanks for all you do for us. That photo is stunning. I shiver just looking at it.
What a stunning picture. Love the red-leafed tree in the midst of the somber late-fall landscape. I’m seeing it as a symbol of hope, love and all good things in the midst of the impending dark and cold of winter. The leaves will eventually drop but the tree will hunker down for the winter and sprout new leaves next spring. Hope springs eternal! I’m grateful for this community of thoughtful people who give me hope that our country will survive as a flourishing democracy when this dark winter of pandemic and strife is over.