State of the Union [View all]

[H2O Man]

“A million zeros joined together do not, unfortunately, add up to one. Ultimately everything depends on the quality of the individual, but our fatally shortsighted age thinks only in terms of large numbers and mass organizations, though one would think that the world had seen more than enough of what a well-disciplined mob can do in the hands of a single madman. Unfortunately, this realization does not seem to have penetrated very far - and our blindness is extremely dangerous.” 
C.G. Jung.



I can't think of anyone I know who cares what Donald Trump will have to say in his State of the Union address. Quite the opposite: the tang-colored, scrotum-faced compulsive liar lacks any and all credibility. Thus, I thought that I'd take a few moments to list some of the issues that face the nation here, and to encourage others to do the same. For we are at the beginning of a historic year.

It's good to see that several of the republican rats are abandoning ship. It creates good openings for the elections in November. It is encouraging that a discredited lunatic like Sheriff Joe is running. Essential that he loses in a humiliating manner, of course. And it's nice to see Bannon lose his job, due to the Mercer staff infection at Breitbart.

The book “Fire and Fury” has flaws: initially, after the election, the author had urged people to keep an open mind about Trump, and was on good terms with Steve Bannon and others. Also, among the several errors he made in writing the book, he expresses his belief that there's nothing to the Trump-Russian scandal. More, he falsely claims that Team Mueller is leaking to the press. This is curious, because he documents three sub-groups in the White House that frequently leaked to journalists, and any careful person can identify that recent leaks come primarily, if not exclusively, from the legal teams representing various current and former administration officials. (The leaks from the intelligent community have stopped, as there is no current need for them. Likewise, congressional staff have stopped, and it appears Democrats are willing to openly release transcripts.)

Still, the book is a gift that keeps giving. The coverage reinforces the growing awareness among the general public that Trump is an unstable man, incapable of functioning as president. It also speaks frequently about Trump's “thin skin,” and the information in the book is surely upsetting him. Thus, an unbalanced man becomes further unbalanced.

Trump's attempts to self-define as a “stable genius” was an attempt to counter the book's narrative. His staff set up a meeting with some legislators, to try to show the president could hold it together for an hour. Trump went so far as to try to reach agreement with Democrats on DACA. The result was that his alt-right base, including some jackasses in the White House and Congress, increased pressure on the president to remain unreasonably rigid.

Within days, Trump's core racism came shining through with his “shit hole” comments. The global response was that Trump himself is the “shit hole.” To borrow from Abbie Hoffman, I would suggest that Trump is not actually the muscle known as the sphincter, but rather the noxious gas that at times creates a socially embarrassing noise as it passes through.

Then came the news about the expensive payment to a actress of the “adult film” industry. Additional reports indicate that he requested another actress to join them. This suggests, of course, that there just may be a bit more to the story about the orange scrotum-faced president and the Russian hookers than the White House has admitted.

Can any good come from all of this? And what – if anything – can an individual do?

First, Trump “won” the most corrupt presidential election in our nation's history. And it took a lot to be worse than the 2000 theft. Trump is the least-qualified person ever to serve as president. Our long-term goal has to be electing a good Democratic Party leader in 2020. I'm confident that there are several high-quality potential candidates in the Senate, the House, and among the Democratic governors, to make a strong ticket. I do not think that our candidates will be facing the current Trump-Pence team.

However, the executive branch isn't the only problem. Our party has lost far too many elections at other levels, resulting in it being in the worst shape it has been in since 1920. Obviously, there need to be some changes. This created the environment that allowed the Trump campaign, aided by Russia, to “win” in 2016. Yet, even had either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders defeated Trump, not only would it have been unlikely they could have been effective with the current House and Senate, but either one's presidency would served as a lightening rod for republicans in the mid-terms.

The Democratic Party needs to change to master the changing realities in America. This includes the need for those in the leadership positions within the party to think outside the box that the party has been put in. That doesn't mean getting rid of everyone currently in leadership ,positions. Nor does it mean challenging every Democrat in primary election contests. But it does include new thinking, and some new blood.

An example of the type of candidate I like is Tim Canova, a law professor who specializes economic issues. He's strong in other areas, too, such as the environment. He has progressive values on social issues. Tim is running in the primary for a House seat in Florida, against incumbent Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Though I'm not from FL, I have previous experience working for another Democrat who ran for the House in 2016, and network with friends and associates across the state. Tim Canova is exactly the type of candidate that I like, and believe we need in Washington today. Hence, the small amount of money I have to invest in the primaries will go directly to Tim Canova.

I recognize that others, including on this forum, believe that DWS is a better candidate. And I appreciate that they have as much right to their beliefs, as I do to mine. That's the way it should be. Hopefully, this forum will provide for meaningful discussions on various candidates, and why it is essential that there be primaries in some states, and not in others. For that is necessary, in order for the Democratic Party to regain its power.

Peace,
H2O Man