Ugly Political Parties
I’m not in the mood to blame today.
So, I’m not going to say that the recent attempt on Donald Trump’s life has anyone to blame but the dead shooter/murderer.
But I will say again that’s it’s past time for the ugly political rhetoric to stop.
President Biden and other Democrats calling Trump a threat to democracy, a wannabee dictator, or Adolph Hitler re-personified is uncalled for.
Republicans who tie the shooting to the rhetoric of Biden and others gets us nowhere as well.
Let’s face it – America is divided. We’re either victims or oppressors. Public education is failing, especially in the inner cities. The financial and human costs of government insinuating itself into our daily lives, the cost of living, our thinking, and the way we express ourselves has made the country into the “haves” and “have nots,” the elite and the proletariat.
Acceptance and tolerance are things of the past for many. It’s “my way or the highway” for many of our so-called leaders and influence peddlers.
All this division has spilled over into journalism. It’s difficult if not impossible today to hear or see ‘news’ that is not biased – either blatantly so or more subtle by the words used in the headline and/or the story.
This stuff is not about differences in policies and ideologies, it’s about being personal. It’s about characterizing people’s character, honesty, integrity. It goes to whether people with a different opinion should be allowed to be free, to express themselves, even to live.
The younger generations have no memory of politics being anything different than the actual hatred that’s part of routine rhetoric today.
They cannot comprehend how two fiercely opposed sides of American government can possibly thrive by meeting in the middle and achieving long-lasting legislative results for the American people.
Those of us in the older generations remember the relationship between Republican President Ronald Reagan and Democratic Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill. Although the pair faced off in numerous battles on Capitol Hill, they also shared a strong admiration and respect for one another that evolved into a beautiful friendship.
Chris Matthews, former Chief of Staff for Tip O’Neill and now of NBC news, and author of a book titled Tip And The Gipper: When Politics Worked, tells the story of his first encounter with President Reagan when Reagan walked into one of the Speaker’s offices in the House just before he was to deliver the 1982 State of the Union address. Matthews introduced himself, and said lightheartedly: “Mr. President, welcome to the room where we plot against you.” Reagan replied: “Oh no, not after six. The Speaker says we’re all friends after six.” Matthews goes on to share some other remarkable stories, including an extraordinary description of what happened hours after Reagan was badly shot in March 1981. The President’s then Chief of Staff Jim Baker made certain that Tip O’Neill was the very first politician to be granted access to Reagan’s bedside as soon as Reagan’s family had left the hospital room. What happened inside that room is not only enough to make your eyes moist, but it may also be enough to give one hope that the power players in the Washington of today can someday learn how to be as civilized as these two men were not so many years ago.
Those who have read me for some years remember two weekly blog offerings co-authored by Dan Daily, who I would characterize as a staunch Democrat and liberal, and myself lamenting the loss of statesmanship in our political arena today. In addition to being a brother-in-law and a successful actor on the NY and movie venues, Dan is a great, caring person, husband, father and grandfather – and a good friend.
Diversity, while supposedly a favored objective when hiring people when considering race, gender, etc., in many circles today is not acceptable today when it comes to thought, speech and politics.
Americans are diverse. It’s part of our ‘diverse’ heritage and cultures. It’s a part of living in a country made up of immigrants from many countries.
We can’t survive and govern ourselves effectively with one political party. The “my way or the highway” is left to the countries from whence we came but not here.
We have come together when threatened or attacked because we want to live in a place where you and I are free to express ourselves, to run for office, to live by majority rule when governed by those who have a conscience and represent their constituents. We know there are differences between us and that’s not only OK, but it’s also expected.
I would not say that about our political party leadership today. They do not seem to want support from a diverse constituency, but only from those who are in lockstep with their platform. There’s no room for disagreement.
It’s ugly. Little wonder the largest and still growing voter group are “Independents.”
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Have a great and prosperous week.
Hug somebody. (Especially a Political Party diehard)
References:
SPIDER Bytes
This week’s trivia question is: Roughly how many miles per hour does the earth spin? The answer to last week’s question – what a group of flamingos is called: Flamboyance. Flamingos are unique, pink birds known for their distinctive body shape – long legs, elongated, curved necks, and the banana-shaped-bills.
France and Paris pulled out all the stops for the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympics Friday. Using 100 mostly tour boats, the 200+ teams “paraded” into the Olympics. The Seine was alive with lights, fountains and entertainment – as was the Eiffel Tower. The steady rain was not a deterrent.
Kamala Harris is now the likely Democratic presidential nominee. Many in the media are ‘excited’ by the prospect and are already playing the race and gender cards while downplaying her previously expressed ideology(ies). I’m not excited – but fearful. The Party has many competent nominees who don’t want any association with incompetent Harris. So what happens if the polls don’t improve for her like they didn’t for Biden? Do Obama, Pelosi and Schumer put up another candidate to save democracy?
California officials have already called on residents to not use their fireplaces, burn candles, fry food, or use gas powered lawn and shop equipment – and buy an EV and all-electric appliances and equipment. Last week people were asked to save the planet by avoiding outside grilling.
The National Forest Service, using its ‘wildlife crisis strategy,’ plans to remove flammable, excess vegetation from 50 million acres of land by 2032. Further, it may be burying lots of wood to reduce CO2 emissions from decomposition. It’s called wood vaulting. How about just doing good ‘forest management’ by removing the highly flammable debris and low brush and vegetation, perhaps even using controlled burns periodically?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that cows and other livestock account for most of the GHG emissions in America from methane (CH4), which they say is a more potent warming agent than CO2. BTW, chickens also fart. They’re coming for our chicken, turkey, corned beef, burgers, ribs and steaks! Oh, the wonders of Tofu.
Everything isn’t about climate change – or is it? Change your ideas of freedom, choices, markets, and life – or else we’ll all die from extreme heat and cold if we don’t drown first. The last several months we’ve apparently experienced plenty of “the deadly” heat. None of wolf criers, aka reporters, have apparently read anything about the 1930’s dust bowl heat.
Wealth flight. For the 3 years ending in 2022, California lost $136B in tax revenue while New York lost $60B as the wealthy moved out – primarily to Florida, Texas and S. Carolina. That’s according to immigration data from the IRS. Anybody who thinks taxes and redistribution of wealth are minor economic issues has learned how to follow Keynesian ideology and emulate frightened ostriches.
Here’s a story I find fascinating. Andrew Sweetman, a professor at the Scottish Association for Marine Science and head of the institution’s seafloor ecology and biogeochemistry group made an incredible discovery in 2013. He initially thought his equipment was bad, but since then has found that oxygen is being produced in a remote and deep and dark section of the Pacific Ocean. All current science limits the natural production of oxygen via photosynthesis. Calling it ‘dark oxygen,’ Sweetman postulates it as a chemical reaction between various rare metals, creating a actual battery on the sea’s bottom. Stay tuned. Dark oxygen.
