Sunday, November 4, 2018

Vote DEMOCRATIC on Nov 6 2018

Trump has:
•cut taxes for super-rich & corporations
•threatened coverage of pre-existing conditions
•inspired violence
•deepened the “swamp”
•demonized a free press
•denigrated immigrants
•ripped children from parents
•denied climate change
•lied & lied 


VOTE DEMOCRATIC

Friday, November 2, 2018

On Trump and Birthright Citizenship

President Trump has recently proclaimed that he has the power and authority to eliminate birthright citizenship through an Executive Order.
Trump is not simply misinformed on the birthright citizenship issue. He is a devious, manipulative, serial liar who, unfortunately, is adept at marketing himself and controlling the news cycle. Fearful of losing House control in the upcoming midterm elections, Trump has returned to the theme that sadly worked so well for him during the 2016 campaign: immigration. First he sought to mobilize his base through lies about a so-called “caravan” of peoples trying to make their way through Mexico to the United States. Now he has turned his attention to so-called anchor babies by raising the birthright citizenship issue. He will say or do anything to try to stir up his base of true believers and often low information voters. Hopefully his efforts will fail and Democrats will capture the House.
On birthright citizenship, SCOTUS ruled in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 U.S. 649, in 1898, that the pertinent 14th Amendment language grants U.S. citizenship to all those born in this country with two notable exceptions based on English common law — the first exception is for children of foreign diplomats born here; the second exception is for children of enemy aliens who are in control of a part of this country where the child is born. This second exception does not apply to children of aliens unlawfully here. Those unlawful aliens are not enemies who have taken physical control of a part of this country (and hence are not at that point under U.S. jurisdiction). Pursuant to this SCOTUS decision, birthright citizenship applies to children born here of unlawful immigrants. SCOTUS would have to overturn existing precedent, to be sure not something the current conservative majority is resistant to doing based on recent outcomes, and, in my view, only then could Congress legislate under its power to implement the 14th Amendment. This is not within the purview of an executive order. Of course, the Constitution could be amended. I hope it is not.
A few lawyers and law professors seek to distinguish the holding in Wong Kim Ark on its facts. I believe they are mistaken in seeking to do so and that a reading of the entire SCOTUS majority opinion will make clear that the exact alien status of the parents in Wong Kim Arkwas not consequential to the Court’s holding.

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Another Shooting at a House of Worship - A Synagogue

I went to bed early this morning after celebrating the Dodgers victory in the longest World Series game ever in the bottom of the 18th inning. But I awoke after only four hours sleep to learn of the tragic killings at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.
What a world. I can accept hate although not everyone can or necessarily should. In my view, for good or bad, it is one of our human emotions. But when it translates into killing other human beings, whether on an individual level, by the actions of a mob, or through war, let alone genocide, it is so very sickening and abhorrent.

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

On David Brooks & The Democratic Response to Trump & Trumpism

Below is my response to The New York Times columnist David Brooks’ Opinion dated October 22, 2018 – https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/22/opinion/midterms-democrats-health-care.html

The Materialist Party

The Democrats fail to take on Trumpism.
David Brooks
Opinion Columnist

I think Brooks succinctly identifies three themes characterizing the “populists'” onslaught. First, Trump and others preach that “the good, decent people of the heartland are being threatened by immigrants, foreigners, and other outsiders while corrupt elites do nothing.” Second, they “have overturned the traditional moral standards” and Trump has “challenged basic norms of honesty, decency, compassion and moral conduct.” And, third, they have changed the debate from big versus small government to “basic openness, diversity and pluralism” to “closed ethnic nationalism”.
And Brooks criticizes Democrats for an almost singular focus on healthcare in the midterm elections, a criticism I share. David Leonhardt’s Opinion column this morning (October 23, 2018) calls out Democrats for not responding to Trump’s Caravan fixation and I thoroughly agree with him. See https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/23/opinion/democrats-caravan-immigration-midterms-trump.html.
Brooks argues that Democrats are failing to respond appropriately. They are offering “no counter-narrative to Trump, little moral case to his behavior, no unifying argument against his ethnic nationalism”.
BUT, the problem with Brooks’ argument is that the Democrats have tried doing what he has suggested and thus far failed. Recall, Democrats tried to make Trump’s rejection of cultural norms a KEY issue in the 2016 elections, and what happened? What happened when Trump disparaged John McCain? What happened when Trump mocked a disabled journalist? What happened when the Access Hollywood video burst on the scene? What happened when women came forward and accused Trump of sexual assault? NOTHING. The herd that loved his disparagement of unlawful immigrants cheered on his misogyny, cried Lock Her Up!, didn’t give a hoot about John McCain, and a majority of white women voted for Trump despite that he likes grabbing women by the p*ssy.
This notion that Brooks and others advance that Democrats are playing identity politics or tribalism but not Trump is pure rubbish. Trump is playing the ultimate identity politics and the identity is WHITE. Oh, it’s not exclusive and 36% of Hispanic voters seem to lean Republican, although many of them might well be categorized as “white” had this country not taken to categorizing “non-Hispanic whites” separate from Hispanics and lumped together all Hispanics, including Cubans, Mexicans, Indians, and other Hispanics, under the same category. No wonder pollsters predict inaccurately.
Yes, I believe Democrats should be making a pitch beyond healthcare and I condemn Chuck Schumer for not providing leadership to his Party. He should move on. He’s a cautious, ineffectual soul. At least Pelosi has spine although I think she too should fade away, not that I see new leadership of quality on the horizon. Democrats should try to speak to the immigration issue but it obviously is not their forte as they want to retain Hispanic support but also need to speak out against open borders and in favor of a fair immigration policy protecting DACA students but that nonetheless does not sanction illegal immigration. They have quite rightly spoken against Trump’s enormous tax cut for the rich and corporations and spoken of its unfairness but the booming economy has made that issue secondary, not primary, and I understand that.
Brooks seems to want Democrats to embrace a position similar to Hillary’s “It Takes A Village”, an imagery I personally always found appealing. But, that’s not where white voters are at (to use the vernacular) for the moment. And white voters continue to rule the roost. Brooks sounds like another pollyannaish Tom Friedman on Mohammad bin Salman (MbS). Brooks condemns ethnic nationalism and suggests Democrats should take a more inclusive approach. What does he think Democrats have been doing? But white nationalism is very powerful and Trump has a penchant for knowing how to manipulate it.
I think the appeal of Texas’ Beto O’Rourke, even though he will likely lose to Ted Cruz, is that he is willing to speak to those broader issues that Brooks champions. But, as noted, Beto will likely lose. And that is the Democrats’ conundrum.
As for Brooks” conclusion that Democrats are better when it comes to materialism but Republicans dominate in the cultural realm, I think there is some truth to that but in large measure because the changing American demographic has frightened so many Americans who still have the power and Republicans are able to play to their fears, their cultural affinities, and the like. Perhaps, but perhaps not, as the demographic changes reflect themselves more and more among likely voters the Republican brand of cultural issues may weaken. I sure hope so. But look at yesterday’s news. As I recall, one of the few “progressive” comments Trump made during his campaign was a pitch for LGBT rights. And now? His “team” is thinking of changing the rules to base gender on biology alone?
I think the thing about Trump that infuriates me most is his serial, pathological LYING. That he can constantly stand in front of people, crowds, rallies, media and tell baldfaced lies and retain his loyal following, and even creep up in the polls as Republicans gravitate back to their Party for the midterm elections, sickens me to the core. It causes me to lose faith in other human beings and, more specifically, my fellow Americans. I realize that sometimes we hold our noses and support someone we don’t like because we consider the alternative worse. But here people are applauding Trump, cheering him on, going wild over him, when he lies through his teeth. They may be low information voters, but I am sure most of them know he is full of it. Call it their disgust with the “elites”, but their willingness to blindly follow their Pied Piper is scary.
God help us.

Sunday, March 11, 2018

Disappointing Trend on Facebook

As I recall, when Facebook and Twitter began, many complained that people were using the social media merely to report their daily activities. "How boring", people commented. Gradually, to some extent, people began to express points of view, rather than merely report on activities, and to share photos of their families, friends, travels and adventures.
 
But, frankly, these days, people seem to fill their News Feeds with articles by others, videos, so-called memes, sayings, and the like. To an incredible extent, gone are comments about peoples' own lives. Instead, often there's a parade of political commentary, political humor, animal videos, and the like. There are exceptions, and, to be honest, I've been guilty of this tendency, although I try to blog and I do tweet my own sentiments.
 
I just find this development depressing. Perhaps because I get my news primarily from digital newsletters and newspapers, and to some extent from real-time Twitter posts, I find Facebook's inundation with posts primarily not created although posted by my friends disappointing.

Trump and Putin

What does President Donald Trump's refusal to implement Congress's Russian sanctions law & his failure to direct Mike Rogers of the NSA to counter Russian cyber attempts to manipulate U.S. 2018 elections mean?

That Trump wants Putin to subvert our 2018 elections in favor of Trump GOP candidates? That seems to be an extremely reasonable inference. Didn't Trump call upon Russia during the 2016 campaign to use its cyber hacking capabilities to find Hillary's missing 30,000 emails? Trump seems quite comfortable colluding with Russia in pursuit of his own interests. Why not rig the 2018 elections. After all, it was Trump who claimed that the 2016 elections were rigged. We just hadn't realized at the time that what he meant was that they were rigged in his favor.

Trump's protectiveness when it comes to Putin may be a function of many factors, including Russian "dirt" on Trump for money laundering or other illicit or nefarious Trump behavior; or, a quid pro quo between Trump and Russia involving Russian intervention in favor of Trump in the 2016 elections in return for sanctions relief.

Whatever the specifics, Trump's posture toward Putin gives rise to the conclusion that they are in bed together, each pursuing his own self-interest at America's expense.

Democracy or Despotism?

I increasingly believe that this country is in a race against time. Will the demographic changes already underway reach a critical or tipping point in terms of changing electoral outcomes before the right wing succeeds in instituting an Ayn Rand style despotism.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Thank You, Jerry Brown

Jerry Brown delivers his final State of the State address this Thursday, January 25, 2018.
There was a time when I vowed never to vote for Jerry Brown again and I didn’t for several years. I was tired of his chameleon behavior, constantly running for this political position and that and frequently morphing into an entirely different leader with sometimes completely opposite policies in each new position.
But I did vote for him the last two times he ran for Governor and he has served the State of California well as Governor, bringing a common sense, prudent approach to government spending and often reining in a liberal legislature too eager to spend vast sums of money without revising an unstable tax structure.
But Jerry Brown’s bullet train, arguably his effort to match his father’s legacy in building California’s infrastructure, has been a far too ambitious undertaking which may end up being a failure that taints Brown’s record. As well, I wish he had pushed for property tax reform, a sensitive subject as he was on the losing side decades ago when voters adopted Proposition 13. Then, too, he should have been more aggressive in addressing pension reform, another delicate matter that won’t solve itself.
Nonetheless, Jerry Brown made me a supporter and I wish him well going forward.