The Union Man, The Moscow Honeymooner, Pocahontas and The Chicken Man

We won't bother to discuss the GOP nomination for president.

OTOH, the Democrats; Social Democrats, Socialists, Greens, Anarcho-Syndicalists or whatever they are, be interesting.

1. Joe Biden -he says he is a " union guy," and a lower middle class/working class man of the people.  He does not seem to have ever had a job that would fit that description.  Well, he has now abandoned support of the Hyde Amendment which he has supported for 40 years.  This bar to the  spending of federal appropriated dollars on abortions is near and dear to the Catholic and other pro-life population.  I wonder what Cardinal Dolan (a version of Joe, but clad in red) will say about Joe's defection from Catholic teaching on the murder of children.   Probably nothing would be the most likely occurrence.  Joe has also adopted a program for de-industrialization of the US in order to "save the planet."  The Leftos in the party have demanded that and he accepted their demand.  Such a program is, of course, in direct opposition to the needs and interests of his fellow union men and women.  Alas!  Poor Joe!  I knew him and he always was a dummy. 
2. Bernie! Bernie!  How could you and your lovely bride have thought that an Intourist  Soviet government guided tour of the USSR was a good idea for your introduction to wedded bliss?  How could you have thought that?  The photo of you singing bare chested at a picnic in Russia during the Cold War is a crushing burden to carry.  Tiny Vermont is a charming place but it ain't America writ large. The Lefty 60s refugees, the flinty "leave me alone" old Yankees and my French Canadian relatives make up a heady but unusual brew of voters.  You won't find anything like that in many states.
3. "My parents said I was an Indian!"  Oh, come on!  Have you never looked in a mirror?  The essential dishonesty of her many claims to minority status , and therefore deprivation of privileged majority status when combined with her animosity toward business are obvious burdens.  The Indians don't claim her as one of their own   If the economy doesn't "tank," her plaintive cries of jealousy against the banks will sound mighty hollow.  Remember.  This is a wealthy and tenured Harvard professor, who, like Comrade Bernie, is a millionaire rentier.  That's Marxist techno talk folks.
4. The mayor of little South Bend, Indiana is a clever fellow, well spoken, well dressed, and handsome in a diminutive sort of way.  He must have been very popular at Oxford University, the centerpiece at every party.   Unfortunately, he, too, has burdens.  He said yesterday that it was inaccurate to ask that America should be made great again because America was "never that great."  In that statement he mimics the NY Cuomos and other Lefty people.  Well, pilgrims, most of us dumb cluck Americans do think that America was always great and deserves a chance to be better yet.  And then, there is his Queerness.  The gay folk, many of them in the media, are exulting in increasing acceptance by Americans of Gay people.  IMO, they are counting their chickens early.  A fact lurking behind Romney's many defects as a candidate was the nasty truth that a lot of people said they would vote for a Mormon for president but did not.  That combined with his snobbishness, haughtiness, etc. was just too much for many.  Mormons are Christians?  OK.  I'll take their word for it, but many do not.  This phenomenon will IMO carry over to mar the chances of the Buttigieg couple occupying the residence in the White House, no matter how photogenic and in love they may be.  BTW, Mayor Pete is Maltese in ancestry.  The Maltese  speak a dialect of Arabic in which his surname means "father of chickens."  (Abu Dajjaj).  So, it would seem that someone in his family was once in the chicken bidness. 

And these are the leading four ...  pl

Comments

[PHILIPPE TRUZE]

Colonel,
Let me introduce the General Khatool Mohammadzaï, an Afghan female paratrooper.
https://afghanistanonmymind.blogspot.com/2012/06/khatool-mohammadzai-yes.html

[Harry]

She does have quite high cheek bones (tongue firmly in cheek). I read somewhere that her native ancestry was 1/64 or about 1.5%. That is roughly the same as one grandparents, grandparents, grandparent. Or put another way, her grandmothers, grandmother's grandmother was a native.

I suspect a lot of Americans can say the same.

[Harry]

Given that real interest rates are zero, I think your point is very strong. Incidentally, on an NPV basis the nature of the tax becomes much clearer. Over 20 years it would amount to 50% of the initial principal.

Thats certainly one way of dealing with the inequality issue in the US.

[turcopolier]

JT

I wasn't attempting humor and Alan has given it up in a tragic world.

[Fred]

Factotum,

This is the second time you've mentioned a billion dollars and SEIU. They, and unions both in general and in total did not spend a fraction of that amount.

[JamesT]

I would love to see her as POTUS - but we all know it can't happen. The "bernie bros" smears won't work so well if Bernie has Tulsi on the ticket. and the "Tulsi is a toady of Assad" smears won't work so well if she is at the bottom of the ticket. The media are killing her by ignoring her, she needs to get on TV for her decency and charisma to show through. Bernie can make that happen.

It is unfortunate that identity politics matters so much these days (Tulsi is a woman of colour), but if Tulsi can use this to do some good in the world then that will be lemons into lemonade from my point of view.

[rjj]

ascetic methods and mileages vary, but abstaining from expectations can be/usually is more rewarding than abstaining from humor ....

unless [!!!] giving up humor is part of an STFU-and-Pay-Attention regime.

[/tangent]

[phil cattar]

My point Colonel is that she does not appear to have any significant amount of American Indian dna in her.The democrats have a problem.Their ticket must have a female on it.It also needs a "person of color"preferably black on it.The black vote was down in the last election and probably cost Hillary a win.A winning ticket for the democrats could well be a Warren/Booker ticket.He is very ambitious, and young enough to be the vice president for the almost 70 year old Warren, and then run for president.He also has executive and legislature experience.He is also black enough ………..Kamela Harris who refers to herself as "person of color" is half Asian ,her Jamacian born father is a college professor and she is married to very rich, very white businessman.I am not a fan of either Warren or Booker but I can see them helping the democrats carrying states like NC,PA,MI and maybe even FL.These all went for Trump.Hillary's VP selection did NOTHING for her ticket in 2016,IMHO...………...

[The Twisted Genius]

Factotum, the RNC would never accept her. Her stance on a range of issues are anathema to Republicans and especially Trump acolytes. She accepts the science of human driven climate change and calls for cutting all subsidies to fossil fuels and moving to an eventual ban on those fuels. She supports universal, government provided health care for all. She calls for free community college. She supports protecting LBGTQ rights, as well as abortion rights. She's called for a ban on assault weapons. She supports DACA, immigration rights and is highly critical of Trump's treatment of asylum seekers. On these issues she is about as progressive as they come.

She is best known to us SST correspondents for her antiwar stance. She wants the US to dial back the growing tensions with Russia and China and seek areas of cooperation with those countries. In addition to getting out of Afghanistan and Syria, she calls for withdrawing all support from Saudi Arabia. Gabbard has called that Kingdom a hub of anti-Western extremism.

Like Colonel Lang and many others here, I'd back her to the hilt.

[Jack]

That's only if she makes it to the debates. The goal posts for that keeps changing. First, it was 60K donors, now they've upped it to 150K.

[Peter VE]

I am backing her with a monthly donation. This week, my wife and I are going to attend our daughter's graduation from USMC basic training at Parris Island, so I have very personal reason for supporting Major Gabbard.
(If you like her in uniform, you should check her out in her surfing wetsuit...bad Peter, very bad Peter ;-). She knows the value of her looks: in most public appearances, she wears a striking red suit, and contrasts it with her thoughtful words).

[catherine]

''I suspect a lot of Americans can say the same. ''

Probably so. I was in the horse show circuit as a teen in the 50's and met and made friends with a girl whose mother was a full blood Cherokee. The girl married and has children so Indian ancestry is still circulating to this day.

[catherine]

The msm is deliberately blanking out Tulsi as if she doesnt exist..so that's a clue.

I could vote for Tulsi or Elizabeth Warren. I am impressed with the way Warren details what is in her policies.

Will NOT vote for Biden.
Will NOT vote for Trump.

So if that's what it comes down to I'll skip the election again.

[Valissa]

From Black conservative YouTuber Anthony Brian Logan (who is occasionally interviewed on RT, and has been at the Whitehouse for black leadership events)...

Mayor Pete Drinks LIQUOR From A BROWN BAG For The Black Vote! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkeI7fwgRGs (<8 min)

[Jim Ticehurst]

Pat...I know Humor was the Wrong word..But it Reminded me of The Satire Alan Used in His Movie reviews''and other writings.He sent me His Book "High Cheek Bones and Pouty Lips" And "Expended CArtridges" Signed...He always told Me He was Maintaining The "Status Quo" And Finished His Notes with "Boots and Knees Together..Eyes on the Horizion.."I Wish him Well.....Tragic World Indeed..Pat...We spent Memorial Day at The Graveside of Our Son In Law..a Navy Seal.Killed just before His Baby was Born..And at Our Old Military Cemetery At one of Ten Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers in the United States and Visiting the Remains of 56 Marines and Sailors whose bodys Came back Here on th USS Saratoga during WW 2..I still have HOPE..and will keep my eyes on the Horizion..

[Martin Oline]

He has a chance on Biden's coat tails. I think it is a great ticket for the Democrat party. Biting - Butt 2020!
Where is spell check when you need it?

[Eugene Owens]

March 2020!

[joanna]

Gramsci, can be used by whoever wants to use him. Over here he influenced the neo-right in France and Germany and I am sure in Italy too.

Never mind that the Italian fascists incarcerated him probably exactly for that reason, but I don't think it is legitimate to reduce Gramsci to Marxist. And strictly I would choose neo-Marxist or cultural Maxist anytime before joining whatever neo-fascist faction.

[turcopolier]

joanna/Leander

Which member of the team are you?

[Mark Logan]

I'm betting on the Chicken Man.

After watching some vid of the Top (for the moment) Four, Father of Chicken's succinct eloquence will be a big asset. He appears to be the best thinker of that bunch. The Faithful will be attracted by the one who appears to be the most precise opposite of Trump, damn the torpedoes. Biden? First loser...as Hillary was to Obama.

[rho]

I think Hillary should change her mind give it another run. As we all know, only Hillary can beat Trump.

[joanna]

I, for my life, can not see in what way could Gramsci influence the French, Italian and German "neo-right

Maybe Valissa can help you out here. At one point, to the extend I recall, she was fascinated by power. Maybe that's the link you'll need.

He had a lot of time in prison to reflect on the politically powerful of his time that got him there. And you feel this wouldn't be of interest to their political ancestors? Well you are misguided.

It's not Marxism that interests them, it's the updates to Machiavelli he provides. Maybe?

Gramsci was hardly the only case were ideas, methods and tools change from left to the right. Human, isn't it?

[English Outsider]

Well, that's a useful correction. I had always thought the "Long March through the Institutions" was Gramsci. Not reflecting that Mao's "Long March" occurred not long before Gramsci died. But it's Dutschke, who was heavily influenced by Gramsci -

"To extend the base of the student movement, Rudi Dutschke has proposed the strategy of the long march through the institutions: working against the established institutions while working within them, but not simply by 'boring from within', rather by 'doing the job', learning (how to program and read computers, how to teach at all levels of education, how to use the mass media, how to organize production, how to recognize and eschew planned obsolescence, how to design, et cetera), and at the same time preserving one's own consciousness in working with others." (Wiki, and the origin of the phrase seems to check out elsewhere.)

Wherever it came from it was a catchphrase among the more conscious of the Progressive Left in Germany from the 80's on and is still used as such. Is that your impression? Also surfaces elsewhere and is often regarded as a tenet of the "Frankfurt School."

But surely, "Left" or "Right", "Progressive" or "Populist", all recognise that control of the education system, the media, and other institutions is central to shaping our mind-world. We need no thinkers to teach us that. We know it instinctively. I know it whenever I listen to the BBC or look at the NYT, or see how our children are taught. And this "Control of the narrative", the shaping of the very way we think, long predates the modern world. It has always been so. The wars of religion of the past - and for some of the present - were about just that; and the fact that today we in the West call them wars of ideology instead serves only to conceal that it's the same war in modern dress.

The Muslims who demonstrate outside English schools protesting against the "Progressive" education our children are getting and the native English who, more timidly and circumspectly, express the same objections, have probably never heard of Gramsci or Dutschke, and likely few of those inside the school system who are enthusiastically enforcing that "Progressive" education. In the battle of Weltanschauungen that is the central battle of our times and of every other we are not in truth inspired by this or that philosopher or thinker. We simply reach for them occasionally as a convenient label or definition of what we'd be thinking or doing anyway.

[joanna]

Don't worry dear friend, you'll get your own alternative cherry blossom king:

Isabel Hardman: Boris Johnson’s campaign team has been so well-organised that it predicted exactly the number of votes he would get in today’s secret ballot, I understand. According to WhatsApp messages between his supporters, one member handed Johnson a sealed envelope with ‘114’ written in it before the result, telling him to open it once the official numbers had been declared.

He'll take care Albion is safe.

Yes, that was a slogan, but considering the place were I watched matters, and I was slightly late (Dutschke was half a generation older then me). Most forgot about it once they had their degrees, and that was easy to see before. To not go into intrinsic of activist university policies e.g. in Berlin. Most were following cattle at the time anyway. But that may be a much too complicated story for your taste.

But yes, I can see how that slogan might fit into your larger narrative. Notice, I didn't use ideology here.

[English Outsider]

Joanna. Looks like you're an admirer of Boris Johnson. Honestly, I'd give that a miss. Mr Johnson is a symptom, not a cure.