Category Archives: Uncategorized

I’m reading about the “Concert of Democracies” idea put forward by neocons back during the Bush 43 administration. It would hypothetically be an alternative to the United Nations which would only allow democracies to become members.

In light of anti-United Nations sentiment among Trump and the GOP majority, two questions:
1. Would this Council of Democracies be a good alternative to the U.N.?
2. In our current conditions, and in light of our favorite admonition that “America is not a democracy”, would we even pass the necessary criteria for membership in this “Concert of Democracies”?

Clash of Civilizations with a Side of Trade War

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You know how difficult it is to be atheist, secularist and pro-migration right now?

The Euro-American Christian far-right are having their long-awaited post-9/11 moment against the general Muslim population in this heavily-unemployed majority-Christian country while the Muslim far-right are having their long-running moment against Christians and other religious minorities in heavily-unemployed majority-Muslim countries.

The Christian far-right wants to lower themselves to the Muslim far-right’s standards, and by whatever means necessary. Fears of sharia law, ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood run rampant in the Christian far-right at the same time as fears of “Zionists” and “Crusaders” are trumpeted by the Muslim far-right in North Africa, West Asia and parts of Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, they’re running roughshod over the lives and rights of both co-religionists and minorities, but mostly co-religionists who don’t follow their doctrines to a T.

I just wonder: are we going to do a clash of civilizations AND a trade war at the same time?

Between Milo Yiannopoulos and Kim Burrell

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Between Milo Yiannopoulos and Kim Burrell, similarities:

* They have something attractive about them (Milo is a twink who styles himself as the epitome of White gayness, Kim has an amazing jazzy voice for gospel music which makes her a sought-after “friend” for singers of the urban milieu);
* They cash in on others’ social advances (Milo likes Black penis in bed “so he can’t be racist”, Kim cashed a check from openly-bisexual singer Frank Ocean to guest on his album);
* They are otherwise reactionary personalities (Milo is openly disdainful against Black people protesting police brutality, Kim is apparently disdainful against gay and bisexual people);
* They preach to their respective choirs (Milo to reactionary nationalists, Kim to social conservatives in the Black church).

Neither individuals share my headspace much. They’re not even shames or disappointments.

And yes, Tariq Nasheed, Milo has been protested greatly for his unoriginal anti-Black and anti-Trans screeds. Pay attention.

Kerry Throws Parting Shade at Netanyahu

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John Kerry went *in* today on Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump’s actions toward Netanyahu’s right-wing after January 20 will be interesting to watch in how they compare and contrast to how Dubya (during his presidency) interacted with then-PM Ariel Sharon, a former Likudnik who formed his own center-right party because he was opposed by most Likudniks for his unilateral disengagement of settlers and IDF from Gaza.

Trump is likely to be very protective to Israel and West Bank settlers at the UNSC. But I speculate that the two egos at stake here – Trump and Netanyahu – will clash nastily at some point.

And I wonder about Netanyahu’s ego in particular. He’s the Prime Minister who owes, listens and connects the least to the Jewish diaspora – he is the first Prime Minister to be born in Israeli territory after independence in 1948.

Trump + Netanyahu should make for an interesting dynamic

Idea: National Voter ID Card

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Hazardous Thought:

I’m seeing on Twitter that ardent Trumpists are very receptive to a “national ID card” as an anti-immigrant measure. They look a great deal at Mexico’s National Voter ID card as an inspiration.

A national ID card would go quite a ways to combat the “voter fraud” boogeyman.

I know that the ACLU is most consistent in opposing both national ID and voter ID.

But I’m wondering if we should support a National ID card while opposing the state-level Voter IDs.

From Tim Kaine to Debbie Wasserman-Schultz to Donna Brazile

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So the DNC’s bleeding began under then-Governor Tim Kaine as Chair (2009-2011). It was under his watch that the Democrats were shellacked by the Tea Party.

What if President Obama hadn’t requested him as Chair, and had selected someone else to succeed Howard Dean? What if POTUS hadn’t selected Debbie Wasserman-Schultz to succeed Kaine? Where would our country be right now?

Maybe he should have looked less at fundraisers like Kaine and DWS and more at strategists. The primary reason why they were considered as successors to Dean is because they were both good fundraisers.

We need a strategist as chair, not a full-time fundraiser. Ellison’s “3,143 county” seems like a good platform to build on.

Maybe with Ellison as chair, I’ll get less money begs in my email.

The DLC and the “New Democrats”

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Those who speak of the DLC and its influence need to know who shaped it.

The DLC was formed in 1985 by Al From in response to Water Mondale’s landslide defeat by Reagan. It was based on the same model and involved many of the same members as the Coalition for a Democratic Majority, Scoop Jackson’s 1970s endeavor to move the party away from the FDR-LBJ trajectory and avoid a repeat of George McGovern’s landslide loss.

The CDM not only helped the political careers of economically-conservative Democrats, but also helped Democrats who later joined the Republican Party and the GW Bush administration. Yes, including the neoconservatives.

The DLC is formally dead as of 2011. Hillary in 2016 was the first non-incumbent Democratic candidate to stand for the presidency since the DLC’s collapse. Some of their vestiges remain, such as the New Democrat Coalition – a moderate, pro-growth caucus in the House – and the Progressive Policy Institute – a moderate think tank. The DLC’s past victories at the ballot have been hollowed out.

The centrist trajectory that has been built since Scoop Jackson’s CDM in 1972 needs a response of equal force and endurance from the resurgent New Left figureheaded by Sanders.

The winning issue at this time is economic populism. Economic feelings matter more than academic facts.

Don’t give Trump a chance. Give economic populism a chance.

The superdelegate system

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Every time is a good time to get rid of the superdelegate system.

Even if it results in a McGovern or Carter 1980-style landslide loss, at least it won’t be as skewed between electoral and popular as this is.

If it means that Clintonian democracy will die, so be it.

If it means that outsiders will come into the Democratic Party and run it in the way Donald Trump has done, so be it.

If it means that Iowa won’t be the first or most determinative Democratic contest in the campaign season, so be it.

The optics against the superdelegate system are damning and prone to exaggeration, no matter the self-preservational intentions of those who defend superdelegates.

We can’t call for ending the Electoral College without ending the superdelegate system.

Let the chips fall where they may. End both systems.

Stability über alles

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The Electoral College and the two-party system are both defended as forcing political candidates – from president on down – toward the middle of the political spectrum. Both institutions work in tandem.

But this is a deceit which is intended to keep this system alive long after its sell date.

It’s why “Democratic” and “Republican” are two self-descriptions which have changed definition at least 4 times since the Civil War.

It’s why, for a long time, presidential candidates had to pursue campaign promises which appealed to regional differences within the two political parties on political ideology and economic interest. The priorities of a Republican in New York was not the same as those of a Republican in Arizona; a Democrat in Illinois did not have the same priorities as a Democrat in Georgia. But regional differences have minimized somewhat as communication has intensified, more identities have been welcomed or scrutinized, and sitting politicians pursue someone’s model legislation or model lawsuit at the state level across multiple regions.

It’s why we haven’t had a new Constitution since 1787 or a new constitutional amendment since 1971.

We’ve preserved and prioritized stability between regions at the cost of adaptability, and now we are paying the cost.

The liberals are on different agendas than the progressives. The sooner we accept that, the sooner that we will stop walking on each others’ feet.

There’s a reason why the Liberal and NDP parties are separate parties in Canada. They share many goals, but really can’t stand each other. Same here in the U.S.

The DNC chair contest between Keith Ellison and Tom Perez is a proxy fight between progressives and liberals. The Democratic primary showed that this fight has been brewing for a long time, at least since the former DLC became the bulwark against left-wing populists back in the 80s.

Let it play out.