A New America Emerges

 One of the most notable takeaways from last week’s election was the demographic breakdown of the increased voter turnout. While the vote of white constitutes increased 5% from 2016, the vote increase of POC increased dramatically. The Afro-American vote increased at a rate of 20% while the Latino vote soared to historic levels of participation: a 62% increase from the previous presidential election.

As many from the MSM were focused on the relatively modest Latino support for Biden/Harris in Florida, they largely failed to report the overwhelming increase in participation elsewhere throughout the country from the Latino community. The overall percentage of Latino support for the Democratic presidential candidate stood at nearly 65%, which compares favorably with past tallies but the significant upshot from the statistical breakdown remains the substantial increase in total turnout volume. 

Together with the increase in Afro-American turnout, the clear signal going forward is that the demographic change long predicted to become a real factor in American politics has taken a giant leap forward to the extent 

that the voice of POC no longer will be regarded as an interesting element of the political landscape but rather an ever-increasing majority influence that will determine and help shape an emerging reality in American life...just now clearly visible on a newly-illuminated horizon.

Progressive Influence

 Recent suggestions by moderate Democrats that the progressive wing of the party had cost votes and ‘nearly lost the election of Joe Biden’ were as inaccurate as they were politically shortsighted. Abigail Spanberger and James Clyburn were particularly vocal in this condemnation while echoing similar centrists attitudes frequently voiced by the likes of Pete Buttigieg, Claire McCaskill, James Carville, Paul Begala, and erstwhile Republican John Kasich, to name a few. 

In point of fact, the progressive ideas as espoused by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, just to name two, regarding focus on equitable pay and a living wage ($15 minimum), serious attention to the increasing environmental crisis (The Green New Deal), racial justice and reconciliation through sensible police reform and reallocation of funding, and a comprehensive restructuring of our health care system as reflected in Medicare for All are all widely popular programs supported by a clear majority of the electorate. It was wise therefore for the Biden/Harris ticket to incorporate these ideas and programs into their platform thereby rallying the support of the much needed 18-32 demographic in order to secure their margin of victory over Trump. It would be therefore a fatal error to interpret this result as an endorsement of centrist ideology generally or Joe Biden in particular and instead view it as an unifying expression of distaste for a singularly incompetent incumbent.

In the immediate wake of this election and especially while looking forward, it is foolhardy and myopic to disregard the progressive influence in bringing about the recent victory over incipient fascism and, moreover, to alienate the very same portion of the electorate that will comprise the vast majority of the Democratic base in the critical years to come. When DNC chairman Tom Perez praises his party as having ‘a big tent’, he is well-advised to take a long look as to who will occupy its interior going forward. It’s is the progressive voice of millennials and generation X/Z together with their forward-thinking ideas and energy that in large part determined and influenced the outcome of this election and will provide the way forward in the ensuing decades. Either the current centrist-minded Democratic establishment recognizes this political reality and takes steps to cede power and vision to the next wave of vibrant democratic expression or it will lose its ability to permanently repel the forces that created the specter represented by the outgoing administration.

Perspective

 While the record number of votes cast for Biden/Harris is celebrated, it might be useful to keep in mind that the total vote count for Trump also set an all-time record, nearly 8 million more than he collected in 2016. 

The will of the people on both sides of this particular argument was announced loudly and clearly and must also be heard, respected, and even possibly reconciled with a bit of time, patience, and deep understanding.

Celebration and a Call to Action

 Tonight is a time to celebrate the assertion of the democratic will of the people to place in abeyance incipient fascism in America while also overcoming the profoundly archaic and deeply un-democratic electoral college system whereby we determine who is to occupy the highest office in the land.

Should we be happy that an attempt to endorse autocratic rule in ‘the land of the free’ has been repelled?...unequivocally, yes; pleased that two center/center-right politicians are set to take up residency in the White House?...maybe not so much. 

Progressive activists together with a broad coalition of forward-thinking Americans have propelled Biden/Harris into a place of sacred leadership. Starting tomorrow, during this interim period until inauguration on 1/20/21 and throughout the tenure of the next administration, we must go to work to ensure that the campaign rhetoric supporting progressive change on the issues of climate change, the right to universal health care, a comprehensive plan to bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control, the restoration of economic justice for all Americans, a genuine reckoning with ongoing systemic racism, and a serious reordering and prioritizing of our use of public resources is followed by policies that will transform lofty promise into concrete reality.

Dishonesty and Entitled Privilege

 In the aftermath of last night's VP debate, it might be helpful to focus on two rather glaring aspects. The first involves Pence's utter disingenuousness as he, on the one hand, pontificated about the value of coming together as upstanding Americans after the 'exchange of differing opinions' while, on the other, refused to accept the results of the election (in the event of a probable defeat) by repeating the ongoing lie about non-existent voter fraud and further balked at the question of agreeing to the peaceful transition of power in the wake of the election. The second aspect of yesterday's event centers on the brazen entitlement Pence displayed when constantly speaking over his allotted time thereby creating an imbalance of total air-time accorded to each candidate. This flagrant disregard of the debate rules was a chilling reminder to both the two women on stage and to the entire country that the exercise of male privilege still is very much alive in the minds and actions of politicians at the highest level. As a result, it comes as no surprise that women everywhere are in the process of switching their allegiance away from the GOP. Last night's performance by Pence did nothing to reverse this trend.

Obvious Irony

 In the immediate wake of the announcement regarding DJT falling victim to the global pandemic, which has affected millions around the world this year...the phrase 'karmic irony' springs to mind. That said, compassion is especially made manifest, tested, and needed when extended to those less likely to practice it themselves.

It Can Happen Here

 In addition to witnessing a national embarrassment in the form of a presidential "debate", we also were subjected, in no uncertain terms, to an authoritarian demagogue's direct appeal to a neo-Nazi, white supremacist group to consolidate power, threaten violence, and actively promote the undermining of the democratic process itself. Make no mistake: the ugly face of Fascism was on full display tonight as a harbinger of what is to come in Trump's vision of America's immediate future.

A Timely Recommendation

Just finished watching James Baldwin's I Am Not Your Negro again on Netflix. In this pivotal time of societal change and collective reckoning, Baldwin's words echo with a clarion call for genuine understanding, thoughtful reflection, honest assessment of our troubled past, deep compassion, and a thoughtful recognition of our need for authentic reconciliation.

A Study In Contrast

While listening to President Obama's stirring tribute to civil rights legend John Lewis earlier today we were reminded of the eloquence of his oratory, the clarity of his thought, the sharpness of his intellect, the quality of his character, the depth of his feeling, the scope of his historical vision, and the warmth of his humanity. These perceptions stand in obvious and stark contrast with the Current Occupant's hateful and divisive speech, the discursive nature of his thought, his utter lack of intellectual curiosity, the corrosive meanness of his demeanor, his conspicuous lack of compassion, his appalling ignorance of history, and his inability/unwillingness to make genuine human connection. Today's speech by Obama revealed the duel realities of how far we have descended in terms of national leadership and also what is possible in terms of the expression of authentic American values.

Moving Toward Authentic Reconciliation

The issue at hand involves coming to an awareness, as a society, of the reality that the lives of POC (especially black lives) have not mattered in the same way that members of the dominant, white culture have been regarded. One of the principal reasons that this issue has reached a point of critical mass is the very real way in which the country is changing demographically. Very soon in our evolution, the white race will no longer be dominant in America and, as a consequence, our institutions are bound to reflect this change. For many of us, this change is a welcomed event, signaling a new, vibrant, multi-cultural, and more inclusive nation of fellow citizens. To others, it signals a loss of power and identity.
In order for us to move forward in unity and to heal internal wounds long left unattended, we must now come together in an honest confrontation of our past for the purpose of genuine reconciliation.
Once again, let us fully embrace the notion that all lives will never matter until and unless black (and all POC) lives also matter. Let's now commit to doing the work necessary to make this vision a living reality.

The Consequence of Stupidity

It was just announced that the freedom-loving patriots, who regard their defiance of the CDC's guidelines in the midst of a global pandemic as an act of personal liberty rather than necessary compliance to a public health imperative, have changed their battle cry/motto from 'live free or die' to the more accurate 'live free AND die'!

A Call For Reflection

In solidarity with Black Lives Matter and today's Black Out invocation, I invite you all to join me as we spend a period of time in deep reflection regarding ways in which we might help to eradicate racism...first in our own heart and then in the heart of the nation as we attempt to genuinely heal from this persistent wound. Perhaps we can make it a daily practice.

Hope Amid Tragedy

A hopeful consequence of the current upheaval in the wake of Mr. Floyd's murder is that in addition to 'justice' being regarded as an ideal and a somewhat abstract noun; it, like 'love', will now become an active and impactful verb commonly practiced throughout this ever-evolving society.

A Logical Conclusion

The press secretary to Vice President Pence and the personal valet to President Trump each has tested positive for Covid-19. If the most protected work place in America is not a safe environment for employees, then it is unconscionable to require workers to return to jobs in areas of the country where the case and death count continue to rise.

Experts Only

By announcing that he was suspending his participation in daily news briefings regarding the Covid-19 crisis because it was a waste of time, President Trump has finally given us something about which we all might agree. Henceforth, let's hope that medical professionals will be the only ones providing the vital and accurate information so very much needed to combat and eventually defeat this terrible disease.

Liberty, Sacifice, and Perspective

To those among us who have been declaring their right as free non-immune citizens to take the risk of returning to normal activity...yes, you have the right to take a personal risk that does not entail the endangerment of other people. You do not, however, have the right to reengage with society in midst of the largest pandemic in the last 100 years when such a decision is likely to lead to the infection of yourself and countless others who will have preceded you and who will follow in your wake. To put it another way, you may choose to proclaim your personal right to cast yourself from a cliff and risk the dire consequences of such a decision; at the same time, you do not have the right to tether yourself to hundreds of others who will be cast into the abyss following your lead.

In a time when thousands of medical professionals, hospital workers, transit employees, and first responders are putting their lives on the line 24/7 in the service of their fellow human beings, it is an act of quintessential selfishness to complain about the inconvenience of not enjoying the comforts of normal daily life. We are all being asked to make a variety of sacrifices in a collective effort to turn back the tide of this terrible disease. So when the next person cries out that his personal liberty has been threatened by the situation at hand, please direct their attention to the thousands who lie dying attached to respirators and to the heroic efforts of the medical personnel working tirelessly to save these precious lives; or to the other souls who will die alone at home or on the street for lack of access to medical care. Perhaps only then will it become clear that sacrifice, in all its manifestations, is precisely what is required of us all in the fight against the tyranny of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ironies Abound

It is a cruel and tragic irony that citizens residing in the twelve remaining states on limited or no lockdown orders will be those put most at risk by officials following the example of the Trump Administration in delaying a proper and conscientious response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The very same people who comprise the base of DJT's support are now in line to suffer an inordinate and unnecessary loss of life as a result of the lack of leadership on a federal level in failing to issue a stay at home mandate to the nation and, in so doing, needlessly further endanger the lives millions of likely Trump-supporting Americans.
It is equally ironic that these same citizens, many of whom use the term 'snowflake' to describe other fellow Americans with whom they might disagree, are treated to a daily exhibition of whining from a leader who melts under the pressure of having to answer perfectly legitimate questions from representatives of a free press whose job on behalf of the American people it is to ask sometimes difficult and probing questions of those occupying positions of power in their government.

Hell Awaits

In an act of willful facilitation, DJT has decided to distribute the national stockpile of personal protective equipment to the private sector instead of issuing these vital and crucially needed items directly to the states and into the hands of the heroic medical care workers battling 24/7 on the front lines of the pandemic as it spreads across the country. As a result, private companies and the brokers that service them are reaping profits of as much as ten times the original price of individual pieces of equipment from a captive and desperate market of health service providers across the nation. The practice of price-gouging at a time of national emergency it not only a disgrace but it lays bare the rapacious nature of a 'free market' mentality, which places profit over the need to respond to this crisis with compassion, alacrity, humanity, and a sense of the common good as the principal driving forces behind our actions at this critical time.
To the advocates and apologists of the active attempt to extract material gain from the ever-escalating human tragedy unfolding before us on a daily basis, my friend Mr. Dylan has a few words for you: '...and to you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears; bury the rag deep in your face for now is the time for your tears'! I spoke with him earlier today and he asked me also to inform the the Masters of Greed operating in the cesspool of exploitation aka the current 'marketplace' that 'I see through your eyes and I see through your brain, like I see through the water that runs down my drain'!
Shame on these later day money changers who, through their self-serving actions, desecrate the graves of each victim of this terrible pandemic and further impede the noble efforts of thousands of healthcare professionals throughout the land.

Memo To A Moron

Memo to the Moron-In-Chief who has the temerity to baselessly question the need for ventilators while Covid-19 patients continue to die in spite of the courageous efforts of over-worked health care professionals in understaffed medical facilities throughout the country: ITS BETTER TO HAVE IT AND NOT NEED IT THAN TO NEED IT AND NOT HAVE IT!!!!

The Time Has Come

In the wake of the latest press briefing and given the widening gap between DJT's imaginings regarding the containment/spread/end date of the Covid-19 pandemic in the USA and the actual medical realities on the ground throughout the country, it might be time (past due?) for Pence and the executive cabinet to seriously consider steps to draft a proposal to Congress suggesting the immediate invocation of Section 4 of the 25th Amendment. Reinstatement of the president could be considered when and only when this crisis has been resolved by virtue of means employed under the direction of competent governmental leadership for the mobilization, execution, and ongoing implementation of science-based solutions carried out by medical and health professionals to whom we must entrust with the arduous task of ending the current national existential threat.

Worst Case Scenario Realized

I remember commenting to my wife shortly after DJT took office in 2017 that we must hope to God that the country will not encounter a real national emergency while this guy is in office. Sadly, we are all now experiencing the consequences of his complete lack of leadership, competence, and functional intelligence. God help us as we as a nation struggle to face this challenge without an adequate functioning governmental response. Let us instead turn to South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong for guidance and inspiration.

My Time

As of 8:49PM last night we passed the Spring Equinox and do we all know what that means, girls and boys?...that's right: we are now in the whacky and wonderful world of Aries where all things begin and anything is likely to happen. For some us lucky enough to be born in the shadow of the Ram, this is a time of raucous celebration, unfettered emotional expression, and nearly uninterrupted entitlement! So fasten your seat belts and prepare for the annual ride through bedlam!!

Perspective In A Time Of Crisis

One of the hopeful ironies of the Covid-19 pandemic is that it allows us opportunity to realize how we all are connected by a common humanity and the extent to which our individual survival and well being also depends on the sustained and durable vitality of our brothers and sisters everywhere.

Overcoming Incompetence and Inadequate Health Care

There are at least two major obstacles to our effort to stem the tide of this mounting pandemic and to flatten the rise in the curve of its advance. The first is the glaring and colossal incompetence of this administration in their slow response to the development of an effective test kit and the lack of foresight to plan for back up tests in the likely event that the original would fail (as it did). This error was compounded by their insistence to rely solely on the CDC to provide testing when the World Health Organization as well as private sector entities stood ready to step in and fill the gap in the wake of the CDC's initial failure. Trump himself passed on a golden opportunity to model the proper response to exposure to the Covid-19 virus when he refused to be tested after being in close proximity to the Press Secretary of Brazil's President Bolsonaro, an individual who later tested positive for the disease. Add to this his insistence on shaking hands (as did his favorite lap dog, Lindsey Graham) when the world-wide health directive cautions to behave otherwise. The second obstacle to halting the advance of this pernicious germ is the lack of universal and comprehensive health care for all people. Without this protection, the most vulnerable segments to our society are the least likely to access the valuable medical resources needed to limit the spread of the virus and, as a result, increases the chances of the continued and rapid exposure to and contraction of the virus by the population as a whole.
Both of these obstacles are correctable in the long term: the current administration can be replaced in November and Medicare For All can be become a reality under inspired new leadership and a forward thinking Congress that places the common good over other narrow, self-interested, and short-sighted considerations. In the meantime, we must rely not on those who would treat this crisis as political or public relations problem but rather turn our full attention to science and the medical experts whose expertise, professionalism, and competence give us all the best chance of survival going forward.

The Democratic Gamble On A Questionable Proposition

In the wake of Biden's decisive victory yesterday in the crucial Michigan Primary, it has been made abundantly clear that the Democratic Party has rallied around yet another center-right candidate to be their nominee in the upcoming election. Fueled by the fear of losing to Trump in the general election by choosing the least 'electable' candidate in the form of a democratic socialist, the party's establishment summoned their roster of 'moderate' voices in an effort to overturn the momentum Sanders had establish after his rather comprehensive win in Nevada. This effort was initiated by James Clyburn's endorsement of Biden in South Carolina and then followed by lock-step endorsements by Amy Klobuchar, Beto O'Rourke, Cory Booker, and Kamala Harris in the two subsequent Super Tuesday's. The ostensible reason for this 'panic buying' of the Biden candidacy was to 'bring the party together' by uniting behind the person viewed most favored to prevail in November and considered the 'safe' choice by party elders and their apologists throughout the MSM. Chief among the latter class was long-time Democratic operative James Carville who, in the immediate wake of Biden's victory in South Carolina, arrogantly proclaimed that it was now time for Sanders to step aside and 'make way' for the 'heir apparent' to party leadership. In so doing, he and the Democratic establishment signaled their intention to assert a conception of Democratic unification that included the coalition of older black constituents, white suburban women, and working class whites while simultaneously ignoring, dismissing, and otherwise disrespecting the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, many of whom had been working tirelessly since shortly after the disastrous 2016 presidential campaign. This group is comprised by traditional left wing loyalist and, more significantly, by an entire generation of young activists hungry for national leadership centering on progressive values of justice, gender and racial equality, peaceful resolution of political conflict throughout the world, and a forward thinking approach to the global environmental crisis with sustainable solutions to energy production and consumption. Make no mistake: the Democratic Party cannot be truly and authentically united until and unless it reflects and embodies the principles, aspirations, and values of its progressive base of support.

The selection of Joe Biden threatens to unite one segment of the Democratic Party at the expense of alienating an emerging base of support that promised to carry the Democrats well into the challenging and critical years ahead. Instead, the party elders are choosing to focus on a narrow slice of the electorate, many of whom switched from Obama in 2012 to Trump in 2016 as their target audience in a fearful and reactionary attempt to revive the success of a center-right, neo-liberal ten-year old political model. Adding to this enormous gamble is the notion that they can win back the White House with a candidate whose only credential for prominent national office was the good fortune to be selected by one of the most charismatic politicians in history to be his wingman for eight years. As Time Magazine writer Molly Ball astutely observed: Biden's recent, sudden, and meteoric rise clearly illustrates that 'things happen to him rather than he being the agent of his own success'.

In their haste to 'settle' on a single candidate agreeable to a dying contingent of party regulars and an antiquated 'Cold War' vision of the American political landscape, the Democratic Party is now on the verge nominating an even less formidable opponent to the sinister, pernicious, authoritarian, an decidedly un-democratic reign of lawlessness as represented by Trump, his sycophantic henchmen, and the white nationalist domestic terrorists threatening to end democracy as we have known it. Meanwhile, Uncle Joe is preparing to stumble through the remainder of this campaign season in much the same way he has conducted himself throughout his nearly four decades of public life: willing to be carried by the prevailing political winds of the day and rather pathetically depending the kindness of strangers, handlers, and those with pretensions to know the will of the people. He will continue to be challenged to construct a coherent English sentence, weakly appeal to a political mindset on the precipice of extinction, and desperately attempt to maintain a hold on any given train of thought before it inevitably dissolves into an irretrievable fog. Concurrently, an entire generation of potential participants will remain outside the process as a result of their distance from, distain for, and complete disconnection with Biden and the corporate-sponsored Democratic establishment he most certainly and loyally represents. The old guard stands ready to make one last throw of the dice in the hope that their myopic vision of the very near future will not instead result in the continuation of despotic, corrosive, and autocratic rule.

The Demorats' Opportunity To Embrace A Progressive Majority

The recent accelerated attacks on the Sanders' candidacy emanating from various representatives from the erstwhile Democratic establishment have reached a fevered pitch and now must be called out. A favored tact has been to drawn a false equivalence with Trump in terms of Sanders' alleged role as an intrusive outsider exacting his will on the established order. A cursory reference to his actual record will reveal that, unlike Trump who had no government experience prior to his entry into elective politics prior to 2016, Sanders has been a member of Congress since 1991, has loyally caucused as a Democrat throughout his career, sponsored or co-sponsored 221 pieces of legislation that became law, and has campaigned vigorously for a wide range of Democratic candidates for 30 years. To suggest that Bernie Sanders is somehow disloyal to and apart from the Democratic Party is to ignore his history of dedicated service to the country from the left side of the aisle. As Sanders often says, his candidacy is not about him but rather merely a reflection of a grass-roots movement that has evolved through recent years to offer innovative solutions to the challenges of our times and to afford the Democratic Party the opportunity to expand their base of support to include an emerging and diverse coalition of citizens that now comprises the majority will of its constituents. The progressive ideas as articulated by Sanders and also by Elizabeth Warren represent the people's desire for fundamental change in our society; it is now time for the Democratic Party to recognize, honor, and embody this movement with courage and pride.

Adapt To Change Or Perish

Hopefully, the rise of the progressive movement as embodied by the Sanders candidacy of 2020 will convince the DNC that the status quo they have for so long tried to protect and preserve no longer has a basis in reality. To think otherwise and opt for moderation when facing the winds of change during this election cycle will condemn the Democratic Party to an even more resounding defeat than it experienced in 2016. For the sake of the country and the planet, adaptation with perspective is the order of the day.

Making Socialism Commonplace

While Sanders' highlighting of a kind of corporate socialism on display during the government's bailout of Wall Street in the wake of the financial crisis of 2008 was spot on and appropriate, his candidacy might be better served by referencing the existing functional, popular, and successful socialistic programs from which all Americans currently benefit. These include but are not limited to publicly funded police and fire services, the construction and maintenance of our roadways, a K-12 educational system, a national network of library services, the National Park Service, the safety net of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Perhaps framing the Medicare-For-All proposal as a cost effective expansion of an already successful publicly funded program, Sanders can put in better perspective the practical benefits of an active socialistic policy that operates as an instrument of the common good. In this regard, he might also underscore the advantage to employers a national health care system will afford. By absolving business owners of the responsibility of providing health care for their employees, it will make available resources to reinvest into the company in the form of higher wages and the resulting increase in production as well as the possible expansion of the company's infrastructure.
In this way, misplaced and erroneous comparisons to Soviet-style authoritarian rule can be dispelled as the a red-baiting and disingenuous tactic it is designed to be. It might also be helpful for the Sanders campaign to emphasize its connection to a long line of American social democratic thought the recent history of which includes FDR, Henry Wallace, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day, Paul Robson, Keith Ellison, and Robert Reich, just to name a few. The current policy offerings emanating from the Sanders' movement can therefore be seen not as radically new proposals but rather as an extension and result of a much larger continuing body of progressive thought. When viewed in this manner, the corresponding programs of publicly funded higher education, broadened universal child care, the elimination of crippling student debt, and the guarantee of a living wage can now be regarded as policy decisions made in accordance with progressive principles of basic fairness, an adherence to humanistic values, the fulfillment an authentic democratic vision. Going forward, Bernie will be well-advised to bring greater attention to these fundamental elements underlying his movement and message.

Bernie Sanders: The People's Choice

As Democratic elites and their surrogates continue to downplay, minimize, and overtly subvert the Sanders candidacy he nevertheless enjoys widespread support across the spectrum of actual Democratic constituents. He currently enjoys the highest favorable rating from Democrats nationally (71%), by far exceeding his closest rival, and his 19% unfavorable rating is the second lowest behind Elizabeth Warren. Sanders is now on track to receive, at least, a plurality of the votes prior to the National Convention and likely will carry the will of the people into even a brokered convention. The challenge then for the DNC will be to either honor the decision of the rank-in-file electorate or submit to pressure from elites and their influence over the superdelegates who very well may decide the eventual nominee and in the process risk losing the party's base in favor of maintaining a 'status quo' that in reality no longer exists.

Laughing Through The Tears

What I find comical about Barr's remarks regarding White House interference is that he is feigning displeasure over being thwarted from doing his job by the president's tweets when the job in question is to do DJT's bidding in the defense of his favored and convicted cronies! It is as if to say: 'I'm doing my damnedest here to carry out your corrupt intentions if you'd just shut up and let me get on with it'! This is beyond The Swamp...we're now dealing with the deep regions of middle earth where the cauldrons of hell brew new forms of evil duplicity on a daily basis.

The Enduring Base of the Democratic Party

In nominating a centrist, establishment candidate the Democratic Party will on the one hand secure the traditional white, older vote and, on the other, risk losing, alienating, and otherwise discounting the ever-growing progressive base as represented by the under 40 demographic and, in so doing, set the stage for the same result it suffered when offering the centrist HRC in 2016.
The Democrats simply cannot win without bringing out young voters and offering a genuine appeal to POC. In the wake of the disastrous and blatantly racist Stop and Frisk policy employed under Bloomberg in NYC and in spite of his belated and disingenuous mea culpas, his candidacy threatens to turn away the exact base of support required to defeat the incipient neo-fascist currently residing in the White House.
The upcoming election will be decided by the ability of the Democratic nominee to rally the heretofore neglected, disenfranchised, ignored, and undervalued segment of the electorate that stands ready to give full support to a meaningful agenda inclusive of and responsive to the needs and aspirations of those who will come next.

The Good Old Days

I am old enough to remember a time when the Republican Party was led by principled conservatives with whom one might engage in  reasonable debate and respectful disagreement. It is now infused with sycophants, obstructionists, prevaricators, and apologists for an ethically bankrupt president and a manifestly criminal enterprise.

Ten Points Toward A Progressive Vision

In response to a friend's request to list ten important points/ideals/values of a progressive agenda with full recognition that this enumeration represents my conception of a progressive vision for what might be possible for the future of this country. It is, therefore, necessarily incomplete...please feel free to contribute additional information, aspirations, and projections. The friend specifically indicated that she preferred ten 'bullet points'. Although I tried to be succinct, a bullet point presentation was never a real possibility!

1) A complete rethinking of how we the people decide to allocate public resources for the the benefit of the common good.

2) Universal health care as a human right; not a privilege to be acquired.

3) Creating a sustainable living environment by ending our reliance on fossil fuels and seriously developing solar, wind, and other natural energy sources while reducing CO2 emissions to a level that will reverse the current trend toward catastrophic global warming. 

Implementation of a plan to realize the goal of all-electric cars within the next 12 years.

4) Prioritizing an economy based on the survival of our planet, entailing a subsidized (if necessary) retraining of a workforce commensurate to the needs of an industry dedicated to human survival and well being rather than one that produces the means of death and destruction. Some version of The Green New Deal signals the beginning stages of this process and suggests a shift in how our public resources are to be allocated. 

5) Scrutinizing the current levels of spending on defense, cutting enormous levels of waste, and redirecting these resources to areas that create a sustainable model of existence that values all life and deemphasizes the forces of destruction while simultaneously ensuring an adequate level of national security. Replacing the Military Industrial Complex with an Environmentally Sustainable Complex for Global Survival.

6) A comprehensive remodeling of our public school system from pre-school through 12th grade, which will guarantee the reality of a quality education to all children regardless of economic/social status. We cannot sail as a nation until all boats are lifted to the surface and into the same current. A child in the inner city must have access to the same educational possibilities as his/her counterpart in the wealthiest suburb. This vision will entail the elevation of the teaching profession as an honored and lucrative career path equal to the societal demands for universal excellence in terms of educational opportunity. Making higher public education and trade school training free as an expression of the value of an educated workforce, which will accordingly return the public investment in terms of increased productivity.

7) The recognition of our fellow human brothers and sisters as members of the same family. An awareness and celebration of diversity as a cornerstone of our national identity wherein matters of race, sexual preference, gender identity, religious practice, national origin, and any other designation otherwise used to divide us is, instead, embraced as essential to a deeper understanding of who we are as a united people.

8)A reexamination of the justice system with an emphasis of ending the practice of mass incarceration and replacing it with a model based upon rigorous accountability entailing compassionate regard for the victims of crime and an authentic method by which perpetrators can reach meaningful reconciliation with their victims thereby affirming a shared humanity within the process. Refocusing our attention to genuine rehabilitation instead of the current practice of human warehousing.

9) Ending the disparity of wealth whereby the middle class has virtuously disappeared and real wages have stagnated for decades. Support for a wealth tax and the restoration of worker's rights through union representation. Recognizing the value of a living wage for all our citizens.

10) The elimination of the wage disparity between men and women and the full recognition of female reproductive rights and their agency regarding decisions relating to the dignity and autonomy of their bodies. Adoption of the principle of gender equality as a real and ongoing national value.

Fallacious Reasoning

A quick review of Trumpian 'logic' currently on display: In order to insure the safety of American lives we assassinate an Iranian general, which will certainly put more American lives at risk and further incur the likelihood of a catastrophic war in the Mid-East the likes of which we have never seen.
To be clear: this is neither a logical nor a sane position; it is, rather, a self-fulfilling prophesy masquerading as strategy with scant regard for the inherent and dangerous consequences implicit in the action. A policy based on revenge will only yield retribution, endless conflict, and perpetual suffering.

Ring In The New

On the 31st, Debby, I, and two close friends brought in the new year as well as the coming decade appropriately by dancing the night away at Berkeley's Freight and Salvage to the rhythms of Louie Romero and Mazacote (a great traditional salsa band). It never ceases to amaze me how this brilliant 12 piece band can remain so tightly in sync while combining a variety of beats into one coherent musical voice. Mazacote was followed by the all-female Afro-Cuban band , Maqueque, led by Jane Bunnett (Canadian) and five home-grown Cuban musicians who lit-up the music hall with virtuosity and an energy that will carry us well into the days to come. Sadly, as a result of the ongoing draconian policies with regard to Cuba, most of the musicians were obliged to leave the country shortly after the concert. On a more upbeat note, the spirit of the Afro-Cuban fusion, the symbolism of the all-woman ensemble, and the diversity of the assembled revelers served to remind us that the winds of the future are blowing a friendly breeze into the arid landscape of recent years and, in so doing, announce the ensuing decade as one of inclusive, paradigm shifting, and hopeful change.