I began my teaching career in my mid 40’s after what I often refer to as “my previous 5 lives.” One thing which was always apparent to me was how many of my teaching peers had spent their entire “lives” in school. In other words, they graduated high school, went to college, and got their first teaching assignment right out of college. One vivid memory I have from my 23 years in the classroom was a large conference I attended shortly after I began this last phase of my working life. The topic of the conference was the importance of integrating “real life” into our teaching plans – something I was a strong proponent of.
Well, as I listened to all the commentary during this conference it became apparent to me virtually NONE of those doing the speaking actually HAD “real life experience.” I was fairly new to the profession so I resisted the urge to speak out and suggest the expertise for this “plan” maybe should come from experts outside the classroom being invited into the classroom to share their experiences. For a few years I managed to actually invite some “experts” into my sixth grade classroom to share their experience with my students. I worked in a highly “at risk” school – meaning a large segment of our student population were “at risk” of not completing high school. The poverty level was above 90% the year I retired.
Often times it was a challenge to keep my students motivated to learn, but NEVER when one of these outside experts shared their valuable time with them – they were ALWAYS attentive and respectful and curious and these episodes led to some very interesting class discussions. I point this out because I’m a very “consistent” reader, observer, listener of “news” reports along with having a voracious apatite for reading non fiction books. Mostly, I read books written by “legitimate” sources – ie investigative journalists, academic experts, and sometimes simply books written by people who are providing information of interest to me. The books I DON’T read – I’ve tried – are the books ghost written by right wing operatives who place the names of, for example, Fox “news” personalities on the covers in order to FOOL people to actually buy and read them. Like I said, I’ve tried and it doesn’t take long to realize I’m reading pure propaganda. No thanks!
That all being said, last night as I was listening to someone (I can’t remember who) who was speaking on MSNBC – the supposed “liberal alternative to Fox” – it just galled me, as is often the case, that nonsense was spewed out without ANY pushback. It’s almost as if many in our so-called “mainstream media” got sucked in to what many call both sidesism – the result of the infamous Fox “fair and balanced” LIE they propagated years ago (not sure if they still do because I can’t stomach watching their channel anymore) Even on MSNBC you have pundits predicting individual 1 will be the nominee for the republicans in 2024 – as if, he’s a legitimate politicians as opposed to an alleged CRIMINAL.
My point, to a degree, as I relate this back to my experience as a teacher, is I have to wonder what actual “real life” experience many of those who are reporters on the so-called “news” channels actually have. I get that reporters are supposed to ask “real” questions when investigating public policy, but they SHOULD have some experience beyond going directly from school into their journalistic careers.
Please don’t get me wrong – I don’t consider the “media” as the “enemy of the people” – in fact, I’m one who is thankful for those investigative journalists who are constantly digging into the reality of what is happening with our government. Here’s the deal though, in our present political climate, if you’re a supporter of Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” initiative – while it’s fair to acknowledge two democrats have undermined the president (which is the difference between the republicans and democrats, the democrats have a “big tent” party, the republicans are part of individual 1’s CULT) – it’s also FAIR to constantly point out with a 50/50 split in the Senate it’s extremely difficult to “get (any) things done” – you need EVERY democrat – period, full stop! The fact two initiatives have been blocked by Manchin and Sinema is just reality. So far, in essence, not a single republican vote on anything other than the “infrastructure” bill.
That, by a long shot, doesn’t mean the CHANGE from the TWICE IMPEACHED so-called two time popular vote LOSING (ex) president isn’t significant. Joe Biden was nominated because “we the people” felt he had the BEST chance of ending the reign of the so-called “former guy.” On top of that, his administration got an historic pandemic relief bill passed in the first couple of months along with the so-called “bipartisan infrastructure” bill which will further expand our economy in the next few years making NECESSARY changes to our infrastructure going forward. Sadly, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have dug in their “heels” stopping the voting rights legislation AND the “Build Back Better” plan of Biden – further historic (proposed) legislation.
The reason all this is significant is because things aren’t nearly as “dark” as our “mainstream media” is making it – although, I must admit, some of the voter suppression stuff is, well, ALARMING. The reality is there are “more of us (progressives and sympathetic independents along with disaffected republicans) than there are of them.” There’s NO reason, in my view, to simply concede the 2022 midterms to the republicans, as many on MSNBC have seemed to do. The challenge for those of us who DON’T want individual 1 or his white nationalist “flock” anywhere near control of our government is simply to get a HUGE number of voters to show up this November.
And, here’s what I believe about all of that. While it’s easy to look at everything as if the “glass is half empty” I’m choosing the viewpoint of the “glass is half full.” As I’ve said here many times I’m 74 years old which makes me a “Baby Boomer” and I’m pretty much disgusted in all my peers who’ve taken all they can from this nation over the previous six decades and are choosing to support authoritarianism for our children because they don’t like that African Americans, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, and other marginalized groups are GROWING in power. As opposed to all of them who identify as republicans, it seems the idea of engaging in the battle of ideas is something for democrats only. Their solution to their THIRST for POWER is finding ways to PREVENT democratically inclined Americans from voting.
Well, there’s a group of Americans who I don’t believe are buying into this strategy and that’s ALL the YOUNG people who are becoming politically active. For heaven’s sake, put yourself in their shoes and consider just one of the parts of the “Build Back Better” legislation – “Climate Change” – which republicans oppose 100%. Funding for education, which was affordable for ALL of us “Baby Boomers” is prohibitive for MILLIONS of young Americans, Child care expenses, early pre-K, affordable housing, affordable health insurance, etc. etc. are things America’s young adults MUST be wondering “What the hell is wrong in Washington D.C.?” Of course, for those who are paying close attention they understand the answer in one word: republicans!
The focus of democrats and those who support the FIGHT to stop individual 1 must now turn to fighting to elect democrats in the 2022 midterms. As I said above, if democrats (and their sympathizers) show up en masse they can turn the democratic majority in the Senate to at least 52 seats (there are a couple democratic Senators who might be victims of the voter suppression tactics, but there are twice as many republican seats up in 2022 than democratic. Occasionally, (like in the 2020 presidential election) the American people come through. Of course, they also would need to help democrats hold their majority in the House. (Can you imagine Kevin McCarthy as the Speaker? Yuck! He might be more disgusting than individual 1) Full disclosure: I’m an (apparently liberal) independent!
“We the people” can control, to a degree, how the legislative and executive branches are constituted, but, sadly, the Supreme Court is going to be a problem well past what I envision as my remaining lifetime – whatever that might be. This entire century – up to this point in time – has been disproportionately affected by decisions coming from the court beginning with Bush V. Gore – where the court, in essence laid the groundwork for the invasion of Iraq and the 20 years of futility in Afghanistan. I’ll go to my grave believing, had the court allowed the recount in Florida back then (2000) Al Gore would have been president and things would be MUCH different today.
Of course, as I always say, “there’s more.” In around 2010 (I’m going on memory) the Supreme Court showed their full “legislating from the bench” in the “Citizens’ United” decisions which launched the floodgates of “dark” money – coming from “who knows where” – into the political process – overturning “100 years of attempts to control the effect of MONEY in politics.” That was bad – if you remember – it led to Mitt Romney’s famous quote – “Corporations are people my friends.” But, there’s still more. (And, oh, by the way, you can be assured much of this “dark money” is coming from foreign sources)
In 2013 (again, going by memory – too lazy to “Google” it) the Court took their attack on working class people one more egregious step. Led, once again, by chief justice John Roberts, section five of the Voting Rights Act was “gutted” and, subsequently, they undermined Section two of the Act. The practical end result is what we’ve seen over and over again this year – all the voter SUPPRESSION bills being pushed through one state after another – targeting “persons of color,” young people. students, poor people, and, in essence, people who tend to vote democratic. Worse, state legislators are giving themselves the power to overturn outcomes they don’t like – along with installing partisan hacks as “overseers” of their election process. (Check out the FALSE “electors” which were submitted in the 2020 election)
Right now, MILLIONS of Americans are directing their “ire” at Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, and rightfully so, but, in essence the PROBLEM started with the Court and, keep in mind, as has become the American custom, not a SINGLE republican chooses to stand up for voting rights. Many of these state laws (seemingly unconstitutional) will end up in court, but, once again, “we the people” will be depending on a more EXTREME Supreme Court to defend the rights of “minorities” than the one which originated the PROBLEM. Yikes!!!
So, the practical solution to all this will happen at the ballot box in November, but, as I’ve stated above, I don’t trust the “mainstream media” to lose their constant refrain democrats will lose both houses of Congress in November, as if they want “we the people” to be falling into the hands of individual 1 once again. I’ve said over the past two elections I viewed them as the most important elections in my lifetime and now, once again, I’m suggesting the same for 2022. Of course, had Americans not put democrats in charge of the House in 2018 individual 1 likely would have won in 2020. Had he won in 2020 we’d already be in “deep doo doo.” It will be incumbent on President Biden and his surrogates to get the message to the American people. That makes it up to “us” to go to the polls and, once again, make it clear we don’t support individual 1 and we DON’T want a “white nationalist” led government.
Tonight I listened to a reporter from the New York Times who reminded me of why I canceled my subscription. His name: Peter Baker!
Final Thought: Today President Biden gave the longest presidential news conference in history and did a good job of being upbeat about what’s been accomplished in his first year in office (unless you’re one of the reporters asking questions). I believe Biden will be going around the country campaigning on the necessity of giving him at least 52 democratic senators along with control of the House. There’s not much Biden can do about the reality of Manchin and Sinema – who can’t even agree on what’s in the so-called “Build Back Better” bill, so the solution is for “we the people” to get to the polls, once again, in record numbers. Neither Manchin or Sinema are up for re-election in 2022 and, I believe, there’s outside motivation for each of them in their votes opposing the president.
To me, it’s just a matter of time, for example, that the source of campaign funds collected by Ms. Sinema become public. I, personally, believe republicans – as soon as it became apparent there would be a 50/50 split in the Senate immediately targeted the Senator they felt was most susceptible to their manipulation – and, of course, that would be Kyrsten Sinema. Along with a flood of money coming from republican donors – I’m speculating – likely is what has caused her to make decisions 180 degrees from what she stated prior to her election. Maybe someone like the abovementioned Baker could do some research. I’ve seen numerous photos of Ms. Sinema surrounded by republicans, including right after she voted against the rule change which would have allowed the voting rights bill to pass! – go figure.
As far as Manchin is concerned his excuse of being from West Virginia bears no weight to me. I was conceived in Wheeling West Virginia and I’ve still got family who live there. West Virginia is one of the poorest states in the union and it would benefit disproportionately (for the better) from the “Build Back Better” agenda. The sad bottom line is Manchin has interests outside of his “day job” which, it appears, are tending to help him feel comfortable in “torpedoing” the agenda of his own president. This is not the first time we’ve seen something like this – ie John McCain prevented the destruction of “Obamacare” – (which, by the way, republicans were attempting to do with only 51 votes) I would agree “bipartisanship” should be the goal, but when republicans refuse to even participate in the process, the filibuster becomes like a HUGE
“weight” on the ability of our Congress to function.
I’ll say it once more – before “we the people” start blaming President Biden lets keep the focus on his obstacles in the Senate, all the issues he’s dealing with, and of course, what has been accomplished. For example, the issue with COVID would be exponentially worse had he not been elected and over 200 MILLION Americans been fully vaccinated. The economy has expanded in record fashion and, for the first time I can remember. workers in America are receiving an increase in their wages. The damage caused by our TWICE IMPEACHED so-called two time popular vote LOSING (ex) president was DEEP and “fixing” it will take many years.
Here’s the good news from my perspective: As I’ve been saying, I believe individual 1 is destined to be defending himself from CRIMINAL charges when most pundits are suggesting he’ll be campaigning for president in the 2024 election cycle. It appears to me there’s plenty in the “hands” of the Select January 6th Committee for a CRIMINAL referral, or should I say referrals?, the DA in Fulton County Georgia has impaneled a “Special Grand Jury” in her investigation into individual 1’s election FRAUD (OK, attempted FRAUD), the Manhattan DA has a Special Grand Jury in the CRIMINAL investigation of individual 1 and his children, and, it appears, Merrick Garland is working his way to the “White House” as he “connects the dots” of all the people involved in the “Seditious Conspiracy.” (Not sure why the Justice Department isn’t following through on Mueller’s evidence of OBSTRUCTION of Justice or why they aren’t prosecuting individual 1 for the ILLEGAL payments to the two women in 2016 where he was referred to as “individual 1?”)
Individual 1 is a CORRUPT organized CRIMINAL from every thing I’ve been able to read and he just wasn’t able to avoid the temptation once in the “White House” to become “presidential.” I know people who got sucked into the CULT and it’s impossible to even talk to them. I had a friend who I would meet for breakfast periodically and we’d talk “politics” – he claims to be a “conservative” and believes me to be a “flaming liberal.” (He may be correct on that one) But, when he started spewing the conspiracy crap from the deepest part of the internet – including stuff coming out of the white nationalist community – that was a “bridge too far” for me. As time passed during individual 1’s reign he said stuff I didn’t understand the significance of until after our TWICE IMPEACHED so-called two time popular vote LOSING (ex) president had been thoroughly defeated in the election. I started putting two and two together and realized I couldn’t associate myself with someone who was aligning himself with white nationalists. Individual 1’s “Christian” base has made the classic “deal with the devil!” It will be interesting to see the reaction of those people once individual 1 has been indicted (which, I believe, will either happen more than once or charges will be combined). You read it here!