Papa Joe KO's Trump

January 21, 2021

In the weeks since PaPa Joe was elected President, I've spent hours trying to say something quite simple - while doing it in the most grandiloquent, needlessly convoluted, and opaque manner possible. You know, just for the fun of it.

We all have tales of what we did to stave off and defeat the bloody knaves, save The Republic, and write the book on “How I Clobbered Trump All by Myself.”

I chose my battlefield and spent much of the first two of the last four years deep in Trump Territories, trying to figure out what the fuss was all about and trying to move a vote or two. Came away with plenty of psychic scratches, bumps and bruises brawling with the Right Kind of Folks for my trouble.

Whether it was standard issue Trumpian insults, late night threatening calls, or having my paper boat of a blog snagged by Russian Intelligence, (proving they ain’t all geniuses), none of it was much fun.

I spent night and day consumed with finding the right words to penetrate, wound, insult, revile, expose and reveal, the criminality of the previous administration.

It may not be to my eternal credit, but it’s how I saw my patriotic obligation and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

After a spell, I drifted back to the “high country,” largely stepping away from the mendacity and madness and meeting many more of you.

When we won the House, the tide began to turn and I settled into a less pained, more optimistic posture.

Still, there were times I was so broken hearted and pained that I didn’t know if I could answer the morning bell on behalf of a country possibly unworthy of saving.

Then I would peek at Facebook over a groggy cuppa, see an upraised thumb, an encouraging comment, the sharing of a new shard of information, or a timely correction and I knew you were all out there too, still pushing along the same rocky road.

And I picked up my cudgel and walked back to the mine.

When the clarion call to vote came, I was proud to stand beside you in common cause with millions and BEAT TRUMP!

I’m elated beyond expression and grateful to all of you for sharing,  knowing that, when the clarion sounds again, you will be there too. On the ramparts, patrolling for freedom.

Thanks a bunch, kids, It's been swell.

Harold Levine

Democratic debates October 15, 2019

Harold Levine

October 15, 2019 · 

Rewinding my mind to the last greatly tedious Dems debate.

If they can't be bothered to trim the field, I can't be bothered to make new jokes about 'em. I return to the ramparts where I left off with 10 takes on 10 from The Last Truly Tedious Debate.
(And yes, of course, barbs aside, the nominee gets my vote – even if we screw up and nominate what’s his-name.)

Julian Castro. The Tex-Mex Kid took a swing at Good Old Joe and missed. For that, he has fallen from grace and must now do penance. Let it be brief and forgiveness swift. A true son of the Chicano civil rights movement, Castro is bright, accomplished, has a good heart and is true blue in a state that’s a game changer. He is too important to be sidelined for long. If he’s lucky, one day, decades from now, he may stand on another debate stage having to explain what desperate voices were rattling around in his head the night he lost his mind and mugged an elderly and infirm gentleman. #FAIRPLAYFORCASTRO

Beto O’Rourke. I have no quarrel with one whose conviction was forged by fire and blood. #RESPECT4BETO.

Liz Warren: I believe my Senator will be the nominee but, sooner than later, she’s going to have to tell us how she plans to pay for her plans. #CANLIZGOCENTER?

Joe Biden. A wonderful fellow, but never the fleetest of mind nor gifted of tongue, far too often, he looks and sounds like a man in a fugue state. #AMANOUTOFTIME

Pete Buttigieg: Along with Warren, Mayor Pete has the finest mind in the field; his language conciliatory, his tone unifying, his ideas trending moderate, his brand of Christianity an overt threat to the evangelical voting bloc. His sexual orientation may keep him off the national ticket, but his future is bright. #MAYORPETEISAKEEPER

Kamala Harris. My early favorite for her prosecutorial skills and the diversity she represents, she’s been unable to make meaningful inroads, even within the black community. An inability to articulate a comprehensive vision for the future may have something to do with it. Looks like it’s North Carolina or bust for Kamala. #PROSECUTETHECASEKAMALA

Corey Booker. Articulate, passionate, (if a trifle glib), Booker is intelligent and conciliatory and a natural preacher on the stump. But he simply cannot transcend the racial animus that inflames the land of the free. #COREYISBARACK2.0

Amy Klobuchar: A wise, moderating voice, she simply lacks the outsized personality of a lead actor. Her Senate seat is safe. That is likely where she will remain for many distinguished years to come. #AMYISFARGO

Andrew Yang. Nice fellow. Smart too. But a raffle for a thousand bucks is more befitting a game show host than a presidential candidate. #GRANDKNOWINGYOU

Bernie Sanders. No way a loud, angry, Brooklyn Jew with a funny accent and bad haircut shouting about revolution is ever going to be president of the United States. Bragging about his “damn plan” that has no chance of ever being passed into law isn’t much of a legislative accomplishment. BTW, Bern, getting an “F” rating from the NRA is easy - if you’re a Democrat. It’s only tough when you vote with the gun lobby. All that’s left for this guy is to decide whether he’s going to be the skunk at the convention party. #STOPYELLINGBERN

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talking head hot takes by those who pretend to know more than we do.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w2F_BcYiNM

Democratic Debates

Harold Levine

July 2, 2019 · 

I’ve spent much of the past several days post debates touring other pro-Democratic sites trying to get a general sense of what folks elsewhere are thinking. I got caught up in one very lengthy thread in which Kamala Harris was excoriated in surprisingly nasty personal terms that I characterize as ranging between “how dare she ambush poor Joe” to, “Who does that F***ing B**** think she is?”.
It seems to me the reaction arises, in part, from a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of debates; the purpose of which is to give candidates a chance to introduce themselves, present their proposed policy positions, and to challenge one’s opponents.
That holds true for every candidate, all of whom have vulnerabilities and are going to have to defend their records. The risk that this process will weaken the eventual nominee is real but that’s the price we pay for a big tent party that invited (too) many candidates to participate.
I’ve also seen repeated complaints that Harris broke a “pledge” between the candidates. The pledge was only that they would all support the eventual nominee; not that they would play nice and not engage competitively with each other.
As for the strategy of going at Biden, underdog candidates always “punch up” at the leader to get attention and expand their base of support. That’s exactly what Harris did.
Curiously, Julian Castro did the same thing to Beto O’Rourke in the previous evening’s debate when he asked the latter whether he supported repeal of sec. 1325 (the statute that criminalizes illegal entry into the country). Beto was not ready for the question and floundered – but, curiously, there was no great hue and cry over that “ambush” perhaps because they are perceived as second tier candidates.
As between the candidates, these disagreements are rarely personal. Biden and Harris will find common cause when the time comes – just as Biden found it with Eastman and Talmadge.
One of the more disconcerting aspects of the Harris/Biden exchange was that Joe didn’t have a ready response to an attack he had to know was coming. If he had simply said, “I will match my Senate record on civil rights against yours as California AG. When time permits, let’s have that discussion,” the narrative today would be completely different today. Instead, he fumbled, raising questions about his apparent lack of preparation.
Kamala Harris is a courtroom prosecutor and a good one. That’s her calling card. She has now rocked Kavanaugh, Barr and Biden, placing all three on the defensive. Joe has plenty of time to show he can counter.
We have several other talented candidates worthy of our time and attention. Rather than overreact to one issue or episode, however charged it may be, it seems to me we are best served by studying their positions and presentations, finding those whose views most closely reflect our own, and hope our chosen candidate can beat Trump.
What we do not need to do as Democrats is to destroy our candidates from within. They are quite capable of doing that to one another. As Joe is fond of saying, “that’s the deal.”
Keep on pushing.

"It's about Character." - Caroline Kennedy on Joe Biden

Whether Joe Biden is a man for the times or a man out of time, when his role ends and he bows and leaves the stage, he will be remembered for a life of compassion, kindness, family devotion, and the humility born of soul crushing pain. In a word, decency. For that, he has earned something no lesser man can take from him: True Friends. - HL

This is Caroline Kennedy's endorsement of Joe Biden for President from The Boston Globe. Travel Safely, Joe.

Stump Green Stein for America. She Blends So Well With Tea

UPDATE: WAIT A MINUTE! It's 4 days to the election, Nader's off the ballot, towed away to the junkyard, sidelined like some broken down car too old and in the way to keep the pace. Now, who am I going to vote for? Back to the quickie On the Issues.Org quiz. Let's see ... I vote to the left ... I vote to the left ... I vote one step toward the middle for balance and I vote to the left ...AHA! I have my candidate!