Okay, I made that up — but you know it's true.
As for Our President's "endorsement," whether or not it was predicated by Joe Biden's alleged "gaffe," it really doesn't matter. The social/religious conservatives who actually care about the issue — the white ones, that is — weren't going to vote for him in the first place. The black ones will vote for him anyway — he's still black, kinda. Well, he's as black as he ever was.
The basic idea we ought to recognize here is that, since most Americans are straight and have straight offspring, not many give a damn about same-sex marriage one way or the other. Oh, yes, they have opinions, but those opinions will not influence their votes. However it works out, it will not make a damned bit of difference in their lives (except for the divorce lawyers.)
Since the Wall Street money seems to have taken a major turn towards Romney, Obama has no reason to desist from the populist rhetoric that can help him win in November. I know that recent polls indicate that Americans say they don't resent the super-rich — and really would like to be super-rich themselves (surprise!) — but, you know, generating resentment is easy. The Republicans have been doing it for years — against "welfare queens," immigrants (legal and/or illegal), alleged "socialists," and anybody else who might not be white, Christian, or totally ignorant.
Obama might lose in November — but it won't be because he (halfheartedly) endorsed same-sex marriage. It will be because the real faggots are running his campaign, and he's too limp-wristed to do what he needs to do to win.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Things fall apart;
....................... the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the land...
It's really disheartening how frequently and aptly one can quote Yeats these days. What passed for the center in Greece took a clobbering as Greek voters moved both left and right. In a couple of days, we'll get to find out if the leftist coalition, Syriza, can form a government now that New Democracy has failed to do so. It doesn't look good; both because New Democracy was awarded an extra fifty seats in the 300 seat legislature because it squeaked into first place, and because the Communists refuse to join any coalition government.
Next, the Socialists get a turn to fail, and then there will have to be a caretaker government while new elections are held. At that rate, it doesn't look good for Greece getting the next installment on its bailout. A Greek default — which just about everybody expected was inevitable anyway — might do the trick of loosing "mere [economic] anarchy upon the world."
François Hollande disrupted a decades-long pattern of French incumbent victories by defeating Sarkozy — despite Sarkozy's pandering to first round supporters of Marine Le Pen. In both Greece and France, "the worst," demonstrating quite a bit of "passionate intensity" helped the quasi-fascist Golden Dawn and National Front parties lay claim to influence that will not be ignored.
Yes, left and right, voters were voicing their discontent with German dictated austerity measures — and, in a larger sense, with the plutocracy that came to replace the natural "center" over the past three decades. They are tired of having their lives twisted this way and that for the sake of a cabal of big banks, hedge funds, and multinational corporations. The question remains, though: do they truly understand who they hate and why they hate them?
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the land...
It's really disheartening how frequently and aptly one can quote Yeats these days. What passed for the center in Greece took a clobbering as Greek voters moved both left and right. In a couple of days, we'll get to find out if the leftist coalition, Syriza, can form a government now that New Democracy has failed to do so. It doesn't look good; both because New Democracy was awarded an extra fifty seats in the 300 seat legislature because it squeaked into first place, and because the Communists refuse to join any coalition government.
Next, the Socialists get a turn to fail, and then there will have to be a caretaker government while new elections are held. At that rate, it doesn't look good for Greece getting the next installment on its bailout. A Greek default — which just about everybody expected was inevitable anyway — might do the trick of loosing "mere [economic] anarchy upon the world."
François Hollande disrupted a decades-long pattern of French incumbent victories by defeating Sarkozy — despite Sarkozy's pandering to first round supporters of Marine Le Pen. In both Greece and France, "the worst," demonstrating quite a bit of "passionate intensity" helped the quasi-fascist Golden Dawn and National Front parties lay claim to influence that will not be ignored.
Yes, left and right, voters were voicing their discontent with German dictated austerity measures — and, in a larger sense, with the plutocracy that came to replace the natural "center" over the past three decades. They are tired of having their lives twisted this way and that for the sake of a cabal of big banks, hedge funds, and multinational corporations. The question remains, though: do they truly understand who they hate and why they hate them?
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Sorry...
I was planning to write about the craziness (from some perspectives) in Greece today, but I am too upset by the death of Maurice Sendak. Let us all mourn Maurice Sendak. We really want our geniuses to last forever. They don't, of course, but I was hoping Sendak might be around to write something special for my future grandchild.
What the hell. Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen are eternal. Goodbye, Maurice. You were one of the greatest poets of our time.
What the hell. Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen are eternal. Goodbye, Maurice. You were one of the greatest poets of our time.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Election Season
Tomorrow there will be elections in France, Greece, Italy, and Germany. In November, there will be elections in the United States. Not everybody may see just how those elections are interconnected, but if they don't, at the very least, they ought to try. The European voting should be seen as a plebiscite on austerity, the modus operandus of the European Union since the financial debacle.
The Italian elections are local but, like last week's local elections in the UK, may be an indicator of how the electorate is swinging. The elections in Germany are for the Schleswig-Holstein region, and have the potential to push Angela Merkel out of power if the Social Democrats and the Greens do well and are able to form a coalition.
There is a lot more attention, of course, to the national elections in France and Greece. Polling shows Francois Hollande, the Socialist, leading Nicolas Sarkozy. France, unlike a bunch of other European nations, isn't quite in official recession yet — but the handwriting is on the wall. Hollande says he wants European action to stimulate growth, and it seems the French populace is responding to that message. The question, at the moment, is what kind of winning margin he can achieve (assuming he wins.) Nobody knows which way the National Front (the Tea Party of France) will turn, if they bother to vote at all. It would be very amusing is they went for Hollande.
The Greeks have sufficient parties and political schisms so that it is possible that no coalition government might be formed. Most of Europe is hoping that the socialist Pasok party and the conservative New Democrats (makes you think of Clinton) gather enough of the vote to form a coalition government (!) that can pander to the Germans enough to keep Greece in the Eurozone — but the situation is really crazy.
At the moment, the United States too is in austerity. The (inadequate) Obama stimulus has run its course; the Fed is standing pat; the states continue to dump cops, teachers, motor vehicle clerks, etc. According to the most recent figures, job growth appears to be slowing.
The Republican answer to this is more austerity — albeit, unlike the Europeans, Republicans refuse to raise taxes (especially on the very rich), and hope to "balance the budget" on the backs of the poor. The example of Europe sliding down the economic drain means nothing to the corporate elite, the rentier class, and the rest of the plutocrats. Hell, it won't hurt them.
The vast majority of America (including Democrats) consists of economic illiterates. Pointing out that so-called "balancing the budget" by decimating government is exactly what failed in Europe will do little good. I really hope Obama has a plan — however shifty and devious — to overcome the stupidity of the American people. Needless to say, I also hope that, somewhere in his heart, there is a little "Old" Democrat who will do the decent thing when he no longer has to worry about re-election.
The Italian elections are local but, like last week's local elections in the UK, may be an indicator of how the electorate is swinging. The elections in Germany are for the Schleswig-Holstein region, and have the potential to push Angela Merkel out of power if the Social Democrats and the Greens do well and are able to form a coalition.
There is a lot more attention, of course, to the national elections in France and Greece. Polling shows Francois Hollande, the Socialist, leading Nicolas Sarkozy. France, unlike a bunch of other European nations, isn't quite in official recession yet — but the handwriting is on the wall. Hollande says he wants European action to stimulate growth, and it seems the French populace is responding to that message. The question, at the moment, is what kind of winning margin he can achieve (assuming he wins.) Nobody knows which way the National Front (the Tea Party of France) will turn, if they bother to vote at all. It would be very amusing is they went for Hollande.
The Greeks have sufficient parties and political schisms so that it is possible that no coalition government might be formed. Most of Europe is hoping that the socialist Pasok party and the conservative New Democrats (makes you think of Clinton) gather enough of the vote to form a coalition government (!) that can pander to the Germans enough to keep Greece in the Eurozone — but the situation is really crazy.
At the moment, the United States too is in austerity. The (inadequate) Obama stimulus has run its course; the Fed is standing pat; the states continue to dump cops, teachers, motor vehicle clerks, etc. According to the most recent figures, job growth appears to be slowing.
The Republican answer to this is more austerity — albeit, unlike the Europeans, Republicans refuse to raise taxes (especially on the very rich), and hope to "balance the budget" on the backs of the poor. The example of Europe sliding down the economic drain means nothing to the corporate elite, the rentier class, and the rest of the plutocrats. Hell, it won't hurt them.
The vast majority of America (including Democrats) consists of economic illiterates. Pointing out that so-called "balancing the budget" by decimating government is exactly what failed in Europe will do little good. I really hope Obama has a plan — however shifty and devious — to overcome the stupidity of the American people. Needless to say, I also hope that, somewhere in his heart, there is a little "Old" Democrat who will do the decent thing when he no longer has to worry about re-election.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
May Day!
Happy May Day, one and all. I was searching online for a demonstration I might have attended, but all I could find more or less locally was an effort to obstruct the traffic in lower Manhattan — which accomplishes about as much as leaving the tap running during a flood. As is inevitably the case with Occupy, "nobody" was in charge. Unless some protester is run over by a city bus, I doubt the so-called "general strike" will make the local evening news.
General strike? Well, here's the unofficial logo of the May Day action — unofficial given that "nobody" is in charge. It's a nice design, with striking colors and appealing symmetry. That "solidarity fist" has been overused, but it still has its appeal. Let's look at the specifics, pentagonally arrayed around that hoary old fist.
NO WORK • Over in Paris and some other parts of Europe, it's a national holiday, so lots of workers will be staying home and rallying for Hollande and his fellow "socialists." In Manhattan, I would be very surprised if a single Starbucks barrista failed to show up for work without arranging a substitute. The job market still is very rough.
NO SCHOOL • Cutting a class or two never was that big a deal, albeit finals are approaching rapidly. Some of the lucky ones will be joining their instructors in the streets for extra credit.
NO SHOPPING • I don't suppose there'll be much impact on Neiman-Marcus, nor, even, on Bloomy's or even Macy's. For that matter, I figure Wal-Mart and Target are pretty safe as well. The DOW, the NASDAQ, and all the rest of the markets will chug along through their irrelevant ups and down as though nothing special were happening — primarily because nothing special is happening.
NO BANKING • These days, most banking happens kind of automatically. If your automatic deposit or automatic payment is scheduled for today, you don't even know how to stop it — and if you're out of cash, well... does the ATM really count? :-}
NO CHORES (???!!) • Do they really want 11-year-olds to refuse to take out the garbage, clean the cat box, or (in extreme circumstances) slop the hogs? I think, perhaps, another "NO" was needed for the fifth space on the pentacle, and that was the best the unofficial designer (and his or her "working committee") could come up with.
Americans might have been able to pull off a general strike soon after the first May Day — the day of the Haymarket Massacre. (Note: you can tell the political slant of your American history text by checking the index: Haymarket Riot = right wing; Haymarket Affair = neutral; Haymarket Massacre = left/labor.) Today, though, the only ones who might inspire a general strike in the USofA might be the French or the Italians — and just how likely is that?
NO WORK • Over in Paris and some other parts of Europe, it's a national holiday, so lots of workers will be staying home and rallying for Hollande and his fellow "socialists." In Manhattan, I would be very surprised if a single Starbucks barrista failed to show up for work without arranging a substitute. The job market still is very rough.
NO SCHOOL • Cutting a class or two never was that big a deal, albeit finals are approaching rapidly. Some of the lucky ones will be joining their instructors in the streets for extra credit.
NO SHOPPING • I don't suppose there'll be much impact on Neiman-Marcus, nor, even, on Bloomy's or even Macy's. For that matter, I figure Wal-Mart and Target are pretty safe as well. The DOW, the NASDAQ, and all the rest of the markets will chug along through their irrelevant ups and down as though nothing special were happening — primarily because nothing special is happening.
NO BANKING • These days, most banking happens kind of automatically. If your automatic deposit or automatic payment is scheduled for today, you don't even know how to stop it — and if you're out of cash, well... does the ATM really count? :-}
NO CHORES (???!!) • Do they really want 11-year-olds to refuse to take out the garbage, clean the cat box, or (in extreme circumstances) slop the hogs? I think, perhaps, another "NO" was needed for the fifth space on the pentacle, and that was the best the unofficial designer (and his or her "working committee") could come up with.
Americans might have been able to pull off a general strike soon after the first May Day — the day of the Haymarket Massacre. (Note: you can tell the political slant of your American history text by checking the index: Haymarket Riot = right wing; Haymarket Affair = neutral; Haymarket Massacre = left/labor.) Today, though, the only ones who might inspire a general strike in the USofA might be the French or the Italians — and just how likely is that?
Sunday, April 29, 2012
You Are All Suspects Now
I don't usually just give a link to another page without putting in my own two cents' worth, but John Pilger's very timely essay for Truthout does not require any further comment. Read it here:
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Is Europe wising up?
In the wake of the first round of French elections, people are beginning to pay more attention to the growing number of voices in Europe suggesting that German led "austerity for all" is not working. Europe as a whole has a 10.8% unemployment rate, and unemployment in countries like Greece and Spain are depression level. Italy and now France have joined the rolls of countries which must pay more interest on their sovereign debt.
Mario Monti, Christine LeGarde, and a great many European economists have been calling for pro-growth policies to offset the negative spiral created by austerity. Countries cannot balance their budgets when tax revenues are falling, and tax revenues won't increase until individuals and businesses are earning more. Businesses cannot grow without markets for their products, so even export driven Germany is in a slowdown.
Here in the United States, Republicans want us to do just what didn't work for Europe, but with one important difference: while European austerity programs include tax increases, Republicans want to cut taxes even more than they already have, with special emphasis on taxes for wealthy individuals and corporations. They maintain that such cuts will encourage the richest of the rich to invest more, thereby creating jobs, and expanding the economy. Yes, it's good old "trickle down" again.
American corporations are sitting on mountains of cash but not using it for job creation or business expansion — primarily because there is no demand for their products. The super-rich, who also have mountains of cash at their disposal, are back to gambling on derivatives, not entrepreneurship (unless you count financing superPACs as entrepreneurial activity.)
So how do the Republicans mean to balance the budget? By taking the food out of the mouths of hungry children, reducing senior health care benefits, and generally screwing everybody who depends in any way on government safety nets. There's a word for that.
Evil.
Mario Monti, Christine LeGarde, and a great many European economists have been calling for pro-growth policies to offset the negative spiral created by austerity. Countries cannot balance their budgets when tax revenues are falling, and tax revenues won't increase until individuals and businesses are earning more. Businesses cannot grow without markets for their products, so even export driven Germany is in a slowdown.
Here in the United States, Republicans want us to do just what didn't work for Europe, but with one important difference: while European austerity programs include tax increases, Republicans want to cut taxes even more than they already have, with special emphasis on taxes for wealthy individuals and corporations. They maintain that such cuts will encourage the richest of the rich to invest more, thereby creating jobs, and expanding the economy. Yes, it's good old "trickle down" again.
American corporations are sitting on mountains of cash but not using it for job creation or business expansion — primarily because there is no demand for their products. The super-rich, who also have mountains of cash at their disposal, are back to gambling on derivatives, not entrepreneurship (unless you count financing superPACs as entrepreneurial activity.)
So how do the Republicans mean to balance the budget? By taking the food out of the mouths of hungry children, reducing senior health care benefits, and generally screwing everybody who depends in any way on government safety nets. There's a word for that.
Evil.
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