Why doesn't the Democratic Party realize that most of us want the US to be Finland (Happiest Country) only more diverse, warmer, with better food, and not sharing any border with Russia?
But seriously folks. I listened to a podcast recently called "Landslide" which discusses Ford, Carter and Reagan (and his eventual landslide win).
One of the things that struck me was how, when Reagan lost the primary to Carter, he (and his supporters, notably the Religious Right) essentially moved the GOP dramatically to the right. Prior to that, the GOP didn't give a damn about abortion. However, when Bernie lost to Hilary in the primary, the strong support for the policies that he proposed (Living wages, tax the rich, end Citizens United, Medicare for all, Free public education, Clean energy ... his 'Democratic Socialism' platform that was WILDLY popular) caused absolutely no movement in that direction in the Democratic party. NONE!
The Democratic party has a severe listening problem. They really need to halt the Clinton trend of rightward movement catering to the corporate elite.
I agree with the author, “My advice is to be seventy-six,” he said. Our world is a grim place. I'm so grateful NOT to have to negotiate a long future. God be with you youngsters and your children.
Thanks, Rita, love your Finland dream! By some measures, the Democratic party has moved considerably to the left since 2010. But the left is now defined by cultural stances—DEI, trans rights, etc.—that scholars such as Musa al-Gharbi describe as mainly held by a rising professional-managerial class that materially benefited from neoliberalism. The so-called diploma divide describes a fissure in which identity politics eclipsed Bernie's class politics among progressives. Mounk's point is that this worldview is now pretty baked in among the groups most influential in the party, which will make it difficult to reorient again towards the working class, where the votes are. His substack is called Persuasion and al-Gharbi's is Symbolic Capital(ism). I like both.
I was just looking at Persuasion ... I see I'm already a 'subscriber'.
I just wanted to clarify something ... you said that the Democratic party has moved considerably 'the the left'. I guess my confusion is that I thought the term 'left' is defined by economics. Essentially big government. Right leans toward, in theory, less government (although the military seems to be the exception?). SO, I don't see embracing any cultural stances as "Left". Those come and go and are personal. Or am I missing something? Right supports business (trickle down), left supports government intervention (a la FDR)?
That said, I found it PAINFUL to watch the DNC ignore the voice of the Palestinians/Muslims who were BEGGING to support the DNC, if they could just be heard.
REGARDLESS of anyone's position on Israel, how is it acceptable to shut out that voice? Can't people have different opinions about things?
I also want to say that Tim Walz was a refreshing pick for VP. When is the last time we had a TRUE non Ivy League working class person? Who doesn't even own a home? More of that please !!! (One of my favorite things about Kamala and Biden is that they didn't got to Ivy League schools. That formula is so yesterday. Look at SCOTUS.)
I guess I have a different definition of "Left" that is defined more simply. Left is taxes support a strong social safety net, and everyone contributes a FAIR share, which includes taxing wealthy people MORE (like pre Reagan days). "Right" basically means monarchy (one the extreme) and a pro business trickle down model, which everyone knows doesn't work. Individualism vs the collective.
Does left have a new definition now? Right and Left are cultural? I thought "Left" was basically the Green Party. People, Planet, Peace.
The DNC needs a new label. They are NOT Left. I think the parties are, these days, better defined as Oligarchic Elite vs Corporate Elite. Neither represents policies that speak to me. :-( I would argue that the DNC abandoned the Left, not that they ARE the Left (as defined by cultural stances).
It is really interesting to watch the new assemblage for the next administration. Straight up bribery to get Cabinet posts and Appointments. The friends I have currently working in the DOI and the DOE are TOTALLY screwed!
Heather Cox Richardson's newsletter compared the net worth of the Biden crew compared to the Trump incoming crew. Something like ... $120 Million vs almost $200 Billion. I'm expecting all full out Eugenics agenda.
SO, I think I'll join Veda in Japan and sit this out. A place where it's safe, clean, and has a strong social safety net. Just visit a Japanese classroom! Cooperation reigns.
Anyway ... thanks for the substack referrals ... I'll check them out!
I'm really interested to see how things play out with Health Care. Observing our Public Health system up close and personal during these pandemic years is fascinating. I've been on two panels discussion ATD (Aerosol Transmitted Disease) prevention. As always the most alarming thing is how little has been learned. Sigh.
I am grateful EVERY DAY that I'm able to retire. Hopeful that Social Security and Medicare stay functional.
Miss you guys and love following your thoughts a your amazing photographs. Hope to visit again, eventually.
That amazing photo absolutely demonstrates that it is the eye of the artist, not the price of the equipment that makes art.
I want to thank both of you, Barbara and Kerry, for giving me some things to ponder other than politics! This planet is a wonder and there is so much more to contemplate.
And now to check out those other (political) Substacks!
Thanks. I often watch Glenn Loury's podcast which includes John McWhorter every other week. They are a fun pair.
Barbara and Karen Fields are great. I have "Racecraft".
I'm not as interested in the race piece as much as in the socialism / econonmic piece. (Big Government vs "Government is the Problem")
I read a really interesting book : "Lutheranism and the Nordic Spirit of Social Democracy: A Different Protestant Ethic" by Robert Nelson.
Also, it does seem like homogeneity seems to accomodate a strong social safety net. There's something about the "other" that rescinds a willingness to share.(Capitalism/Oligarchy/Plutocracy aside).
I would LOVE to ask Glenn Loury about his affinity for Reagan.
Anyway, none of these really help me with my quandry on how to proceed.... other than to have REALLY low expectations, if any, for our government to do the right thing.
I was thinking about when, in the 50s, Canada embraced universal health care and the US chose a different route. There is a missing sense of community.
Veda and I have really enjoyed exploring aspects of Japanese society, and the aspects of it that are highly functional.(He LOVES living there. It's clean, it's safe, and they have GREAT food. The diversity piece is missing ... but, can't have everything ...)
A look into the delicate balance between teamwork, discipline
and personal growth."
Honestly, if I was younger, and CERTAINLY if I had little kids, I'd leave the U.S.
The next years will be interesting. As I was in the Soc Security office last week, I was thinking how much WORSE dealing with Soc Sec will be with fewer staff and a mass exit which takes with it the people who have experience. I saw that at my job. Covid hit. There was MASS retirement (like me) and the turnover was INSANE, and those who were placed in assorted management positions got no training because there was no overlap. (I didn't train my RN replacement, e.g.)
Anyway ... should be interesting ... and lots for political scientists to talk about for a LONG time.
Will there be ANY 'Rule of Law"? We'll see.
I do appreciate KNOWING just how different my views are than the majority.
Love to Barbara. I've been thinking about her and her ablation. I have two other friends who are scheduled for ablations!! WTF?
Struggling to figure out how to move forward (or not ... Just be grateful and pretend to be 'in it but not of it? Don't think my inner social justice warrior/retired union activist will allow it).
I'm annoyed that I had to hold my nose and vote for Hilary, then Biden (I didn't support either of them in their primaries). Confession: I voted for The Green party for President/VP. TO BE CLEAR, I would NOT have done that if I didn't live in a securely Blue state. BUT I felt like voting closer to my values. I don't like that housing costs 50% of people's incomes. I don't like that so many public schools SUCK. AND I'm very sad that the small window I had, to facilitate my kids' getting a GREAT education ... mostly begging for financial aid from private schools, is now closed. I was looking at tuition for private high schools around here recently. $50-$60K a year. WTF??!?! Sure they offer financial aid ... but 50% (often the max financial aid) of $50K-60K is not exactly do-able. AND who wants to go to school with a bunch of Silicon Valley tech assholes? (Someone I know has a kid goes to the same high school that Sam Bankman Fried attended. BARF. On the Wiki page he's listed as alumni with profession of "Fraudster". LOL.YUCK!)
Our friends at Ecole Bilingue were nurses, artists, waitresses, grad students and single parents. Professional working class people. Now everyone has to have 2 tech incomes or 2 MDs or 2 Corporate lawyers or investment bankers. Boo!
ANYWAY ... that's my rant. Thanks for listening. And if you have any ideas on how we can have a parliamentary system and include multiple voices, let me know. :-)
I have. Highly recommended. She's an American philosopher based in Germany. For origins of illiberal progressivism, another is Helen Pluckrose's Cynical Theories. On politics, my friend John Judis' book is Where Have All the Democrats Gone, with Ruy Tuxiera. Ruy's substack is Liberal Patriot. Coleman Hughes in The End of Race Politics, has now joined John McWhorter (who used to be at Berkeley), Barbara and Karen Fields, and Glenn Loury as prominent black critics of CRT. Coleman did a TED talk. You might also like the Journal of Free Black Thought substack.
Why doesn't the Democratic Party realize that most of us want the US to be Finland (Happiest Country) only more diverse, warmer, with better food, and not sharing any border with Russia?
But seriously folks. I listened to a podcast recently called "Landslide" which discusses Ford, Carter and Reagan (and his eventual landslide win).
One of the things that struck me was how, when Reagan lost the primary to Carter, he (and his supporters, notably the Religious Right) essentially moved the GOP dramatically to the right. Prior to that, the GOP didn't give a damn about abortion. However, when Bernie lost to Hilary in the primary, the strong support for the policies that he proposed (Living wages, tax the rich, end Citizens United, Medicare for all, Free public education, Clean energy ... his 'Democratic Socialism' platform that was WILDLY popular) caused absolutely no movement in that direction in the Democratic party. NONE!
The Democratic party has a severe listening problem. They really need to halt the Clinton trend of rightward movement catering to the corporate elite.
I recommend this older New Yorker article:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/06/10/are-we-doomed-heres-how-to-think-about-it
I agree with the author, “My advice is to be seventy-six,” he said. Our world is a grim place. I'm so grateful NOT to have to negotiate a long future. God be with you youngsters and your children.
Thanks, Rita, love your Finland dream! By some measures, the Democratic party has moved considerably to the left since 2010. But the left is now defined by cultural stances—DEI, trans rights, etc.—that scholars such as Musa al-Gharbi describe as mainly held by a rising professional-managerial class that materially benefited from neoliberalism. The so-called diploma divide describes a fissure in which identity politics eclipsed Bernie's class politics among progressives. Mounk's point is that this worldview is now pretty baked in among the groups most influential in the party, which will make it difficult to reorient again towards the working class, where the votes are. His substack is called Persuasion and al-Gharbi's is Symbolic Capital(ism). I like both.
I was just looking at Persuasion ... I see I'm already a 'subscriber'.
I just wanted to clarify something ... you said that the Democratic party has moved considerably 'the the left'. I guess my confusion is that I thought the term 'left' is defined by economics. Essentially big government. Right leans toward, in theory, less government (although the military seems to be the exception?). SO, I don't see embracing any cultural stances as "Left". Those come and go and are personal. Or am I missing something? Right supports business (trickle down), left supports government intervention (a la FDR)?
That said, I found it PAINFUL to watch the DNC ignore the voice of the Palestinians/Muslims who were BEGGING to support the DNC, if they could just be heard.
REGARDLESS of anyone's position on Israel, how is it acceptable to shut out that voice? Can't people have different opinions about things?
I also want to say that Tim Walz was a refreshing pick for VP. When is the last time we had a TRUE non Ivy League working class person? Who doesn't even own a home? More of that please !!! (One of my favorite things about Kamala and Biden is that they didn't got to Ivy League schools. That formula is so yesterday. Look at SCOTUS.)
I guess I have a different definition of "Left" that is defined more simply. Left is taxes support a strong social safety net, and everyone contributes a FAIR share, which includes taxing wealthy people MORE (like pre Reagan days). "Right" basically means monarchy (one the extreme) and a pro business trickle down model, which everyone knows doesn't work. Individualism vs the collective.
Does left have a new definition now? Right and Left are cultural? I thought "Left" was basically the Green Party. People, Planet, Peace.
The DNC needs a new label. They are NOT Left. I think the parties are, these days, better defined as Oligarchic Elite vs Corporate Elite. Neither represents policies that speak to me. :-( I would argue that the DNC abandoned the Left, not that they ARE the Left (as defined by cultural stances).
It is really interesting to watch the new assemblage for the next administration. Straight up bribery to get Cabinet posts and Appointments. The friends I have currently working in the DOI and the DOE are TOTALLY screwed!
Heather Cox Richardson's newsletter compared the net worth of the Biden crew compared to the Trump incoming crew. Something like ... $120 Million vs almost $200 Billion. I'm expecting all full out Eugenics agenda.
SO, I think I'll join Veda in Japan and sit this out. A place where it's safe, clean, and has a strong social safety net. Just visit a Japanese classroom! Cooperation reigns.
Anyway ... thanks for the substack referrals ... I'll check them out!
I'm really interested to see how things play out with Health Care. Observing our Public Health system up close and personal during these pandemic years is fascinating. I've been on two panels discussion ATD (Aerosol Transmitted Disease) prevention. As always the most alarming thing is how little has been learned. Sigh.
I am grateful EVERY DAY that I'm able to retire. Hopeful that Social Security and Medicare stay functional.
Miss you guys and love following your thoughts a your amazing photographs. Hope to visit again, eventually.
Thanks, Rita. I agree with your definition. I'm an old fashioned classic MLK liberal.
I love Louise Fili’s design work!
That amazing photo absolutely demonstrates that it is the eye of the artist, not the price of the equipment that makes art.
I want to thank both of you, Barbara and Kerry, for giving me some things to ponder other than politics! This planet is a wonder and there is so much more to contemplate.
And now to check out those other (political) Substacks!
stunning aerial photo
Love the rabbit holes you travel to and so enjoy reading and getting yet another glimpse.
I also like this Substack
https://briahnajoygray.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=substack_profile
Thanks. I often watch Glenn Loury's podcast which includes John McWhorter every other week. They are a fun pair.
Barbara and Karen Fields are great. I have "Racecraft".
I'm not as interested in the race piece as much as in the socialism / econonmic piece. (Big Government vs "Government is the Problem")
I read a really interesting book : "Lutheranism and the Nordic Spirit of Social Democracy: A Different Protestant Ethic" by Robert Nelson.
Also, it does seem like homogeneity seems to accomodate a strong social safety net. There's something about the "other" that rescinds a willingness to share.(Capitalism/Oligarchy/Plutocracy aside).
I would LOVE to ask Glenn Loury about his affinity for Reagan.
Anyway, none of these really help me with my quandry on how to proceed.... other than to have REALLY low expectations, if any, for our government to do the right thing.
I was thinking about when, in the 50s, Canada embraced universal health care and the US chose a different route. There is a missing sense of community.
Veda and I have really enjoyed exploring aspects of Japanese society, and the aspects of it that are highly functional.(He LOVES living there. It's clean, it's safe, and they have GREAT food. The diversity piece is missing ... but, can't have everything ...)
I loved this article that Veda sent.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/18/opinion/japan-education-childhood.html?
"What a School Performance Shows
Us About Japanese Education
A look into the delicate balance between teamwork, discipline
and personal growth."
Honestly, if I was younger, and CERTAINLY if I had little kids, I'd leave the U.S.
The next years will be interesting. As I was in the Soc Security office last week, I was thinking how much WORSE dealing with Soc Sec will be with fewer staff and a mass exit which takes with it the people who have experience. I saw that at my job. Covid hit. There was MASS retirement (like me) and the turnover was INSANE, and those who were placed in assorted management positions got no training because there was no overlap. (I didn't train my RN replacement, e.g.)
Anyway ... should be interesting ... and lots for political scientists to talk about for a LONG time.
Will there be ANY 'Rule of Law"? We'll see.
I do appreciate KNOWING just how different my views are than the majority.
Love to Barbara. I've been thinking about her and her ablation. I have two other friends who are scheduled for ablations!! WTF?
Struggling to figure out how to move forward (or not ... Just be grateful and pretend to be 'in it but not of it? Don't think my inner social justice warrior/retired union activist will allow it).
I'm annoyed that I had to hold my nose and vote for Hilary, then Biden (I didn't support either of them in their primaries). Confession: I voted for The Green party for President/VP. TO BE CLEAR, I would NOT have done that if I didn't live in a securely Blue state. BUT I felt like voting closer to my values. I don't like that housing costs 50% of people's incomes. I don't like that so many public schools SUCK. AND I'm very sad that the small window I had, to facilitate my kids' getting a GREAT education ... mostly begging for financial aid from private schools, is now closed. I was looking at tuition for private high schools around here recently. $50-$60K a year. WTF??!?! Sure they offer financial aid ... but 50% (often the max financial aid) of $50K-60K is not exactly do-able. AND who wants to go to school with a bunch of Silicon Valley tech assholes? (Someone I know has a kid goes to the same high school that Sam Bankman Fried attended. BARF. On the Wiki page he's listed as alumni with profession of "Fraudster". LOL.YUCK!)
Our friends at Ecole Bilingue were nurses, artists, waitresses, grad students and single parents. Professional working class people. Now everyone has to have 2 tech incomes or 2 MDs or 2 Corporate lawyers or investment bankers. Boo!
ANYWAY ... that's my rant. Thanks for listening. And if you have any ideas on how we can have a parliamentary system and include multiple voices, let me know. :-)
“My advice is to be seventy-six”
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1509558306/ref=mes-dp?_encoding=UTF8
Left Is Not Woke
by Susan Neiman (Author)
Haven't read this book ... but the title speaks to my comments.
I have. Highly recommended. She's an American philosopher based in Germany. For origins of illiberal progressivism, another is Helen Pluckrose's Cynical Theories. On politics, my friend John Judis' book is Where Have All the Democrats Gone, with Ruy Tuxiera. Ruy's substack is Liberal Patriot. Coleman Hughes in The End of Race Politics, has now joined John McWhorter (who used to be at Berkeley), Barbara and Karen Fields, and Glenn Loury as prominent black critics of CRT. Coleman did a TED talk. You might also like the Journal of Free Black Thought substack.