Is Democratic Americanism dangerous and revolutionary?
Matt Bai rejects says the Republican ideal of Americanism as fascism and Democratic Americanism ‘radical’.
Press Dictate: Bipartisanship Death March
Every week, the press remeasures the Democratic commitment to bipartisanship, critical of every shortcoming. And each week, they give Republicans a free pass to burn the system to the ground. When did ‘bipartisanship’ become so one-sided?
CNN and the Healthcare-Industrial Complex
I want to touch on the political nonsense and noise around the healthcare industry. Not health care; the healthcare business. It’s a complicated mix, it’s around 18% of our economy, and it remains the biggest Democratic issue nobody can explain. CNN couldn’t handle more than easy catch-phrases and bumper-sticker memes. Here are some facts.
CNN Hosts Presidential Fight Night
The CNN Presidential debate was educational, but annoying. The moderators focused on attacks and counterattacks. If you diss’ed someone, the moderators let you shout, then allow swirls of attacks and rebuttals. When a candidate ignored their provocation and explained capable, rational policies, CNN cut them off hard at the bell. This was Fight Night!
The Election is a Marketplace of Ideas
The media are still getting their election coverage weirdly wrong. The election is still over a year away; almost everything is still fluid. We just had a new candidate register. The existing candidates are only firming the positions they’ve barely articulated. It may become a horserace down the line, but...
Democrats: Tell Us What You Stand For
For Democrats to win more than one election cycle, they need to inspire, not just criticize.
Democrats ‘Cave’? The New York Times Loses Their Minds
The New York Times keeps making the same mistakes. Republicans are manipulating them, just the same way they always do. Now they’re writing that “Democrats ‘cave’!” like it’s not just quoting Republican talking points. Will the Times eventually realize their mistake, and admit Republicans are manipulating them again? Or will...
Democratic Moral Amnesia
Liberals always try to forget who they are and what they stand for. It’s like some group-think version of moral amnesia. It’s one of the (many) things that drive me nuts about many liberals, including most of the Democratic party. Do Democrats support a more robust safety net, particularly for...
Democrats Actually Do Something
Imagine my surprise when I read Sen. Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) Op-Ed in the New York Times that included stuff like this: Democrats have too often hesitated from taking on those misguided policies directly and unflinchingly — so much so that many Americans don’t know what we stand for. Not after...
Democratic Party Idea
So the Democrats are doing another Talk-A-Thon about the disaster that will be Trumpcare. (GOPCare?) As part of a sit-in on the Capital steps with other Democratic Senators and Representatives, Cory Booker started a Facebook post with this: Health care is a human right. Nice beginning. And yes, I agree...
Grownups
I’m an old guy. (I only mention it in case that’s not already obvious, what with my focus on honor and all.) So yeah, freakishly old. Once I got past your childhood, and than young-adult-hood, I found myself looking for other grownups. Maybe it was for companionship, or just to...
Bernie to the Rescue
Bernie Sanders wrote a New York Times Op-Ed: How Democrats Can Stop Losing Elections. It’s more or less what I’ve been saying for a while, so of course he’s exactly correct. This is the start: In 2016, the Democratic Party lost the presidency to possibly the least popular candidate in...
Republican Goals and ‘Winning’
It’s a question of character. There will be a test afterwards. I frequently lament the loss of the Republican party. I know I comment on them critically and harshly, but honestly, I do miss having a decent opposition party. I’m not especially thrilled with the Democratic party and their deliberately...
Hypocrisy and Republican Liars
I’ve written too much about Republican liars. I just deleted three drafts because even I was bored. We already know all that. What our interest? Tell us how Democrats can change the system into something better.
Trump Doctrine
Why are so many people confusing tactics and strategy? I was listening to TV media talking about the Trump Doctrine. For some reason, they all pretend such a doctrine exists, and that he’s not just making it up as he goes. Why do we need one? Well, because he started...
Washington Post Shows Us What’s Wrong
We need to be careful about how we treat people who lie to us. Today’s online version of the Washington Post has a story about how, With a deadline looming, nobody is threatening to shut down the government. Whoa, hey! Sounds like good news. Here’s how it starts: Congress is...