MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE
by Michael Wolraich
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MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE by Michael Wolraich Order today at Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Books-A-Million / Bookshop |
Frank Bruno:
The big question going into Thursday night’s debate was whether Joe Biden, the clear front-runner in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, would stumble.
That turned out to be the wrong one. The right question was whether he had sufficient vigor in his stride.
And the answer came in watching Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg — two of the event’s standout performers — run articulate and impassioned circles around him.
Comments
Ftr, I'm not endorsing anyone at this point, but if we're talking about debate match-ups for the general election, Harris-Buttigieg would be my fantasy debate team to take on Trump-Pence. At the top of the ticket, a smart, eloquent, ass-kicking second-generation Jamaican-Indian female former prosecutor would goad Trump into apoplexy. At the bottom, a smart, eloquent, charming, Bible-quoting, millennial gay war veteran from Indiana would deftly expose Pence's moral hypocrisy.
by Michael Wolraich on Fri, 06/28/2019 - 10:05am
Perhaps I'm weird, but the idea of a prosecutor as head of government doesn't really thrill me - had enough of the police/law-and-order state already, along with all the reasons to keep prisoners locked up in Gitmo, increased surveillance post-9/11... and then there's Giuliani who managed to get worse and much worse over the years. And trusting Mueller to get a job done and after all that turned out to be a fairly timid disappointment in looking out for the people's interests. Anyway, just a thought that crossed my mind.
by PeraclesPlease on Fri, 06/28/2019 - 11:51am
It's a reasonable concern. I haven't decided to endorse her. I just like the idea of her taking Trump to the woodshed at debates. (And maybe the jail cell after that.)
by Michael Wolraich on Fri, 06/28/2019 - 2:49pm
It's not really a "concern" - it's more an inbred prejudice, like having a narrow tolerance for police in general too. We need them, but too many have always enjoyed exploiting their power, at least in the US.
by PeraclesPlease on Fri, 06/28/2019 - 4:50pm
Mho, she definitely has the prosecutor personality, it's like it's in her bones. But I thought you liked that kind of thing. Avenatti has it too, even though he's a defense lawyer, he plays the game like a prosecutor. I have a tendency not to like this sort for executive and managerial positions, I think they are a bad fit.
Again, like I've brought up before, there's a mistaken tendency to think like our president actually has a lot of political power. And he/she actually doesn't. He/she does have a big bully pulpit, but that's only because everyone falsely believes he/she can effect a lot. (And when they have the bullshit demagogic p.r. skills of a Trump, to the max, of course.)
Edit to add: I was thinking the other day how we've got all these Senators running, and what ever happened to the old conventional wisdom that American voters prefer to vote for governors for president? Now with this comment, got to thinking how Senators in effect have a bloviator and prosecutor type position already, that's what they are there for. Not to manage a damn thing. To bloviate about how crude the rabble at the House is, and how they know higher, better what we should all think and what we should be doing.
by artappraiser on Fri, 06/28/2019 - 7:45pm
I was actually thinking of Avenatti. I liked him possibly running for president, an unbelievable longshot, fucking with the others, messing with their heads, pushing them to get serious, but not to actually be president. Somehow I think he felt the same way.
by PeraclesPlease on Sat, 06/29/2019 - 4:16am
Harris and Buttigieg would likely attract a lot of the black women and gay married couples in the swing state heartland GOP/Trump base.
by NCD on Fri, 06/28/2019 - 8:44pm
I figure you are being sarcastic, Mr. NCD. But as I was reminded by listening to NPR this afternoon, you've got to get used to the new swing voter: white suburban women who used to vote Republican but despise Trump. Now get inside those heads and whatcha think they will think about Harris/Buttigieg? I for one have this intuition that with Harris they'd react something along the lines of a gal pal from The View? The aggressive one, tough gal, but she's okay. Keeping the criminals off the streets. Mayor Pete might be welcomed like another one of the gals but a little too on the intellectual side?
by artappraiser on Fri, 06/28/2019 - 10:11pm
Artsy people's opinions on what Frank said on this thread. Not that they matter, just for the hell of it.
by artappraiser on Fri, 06/28/2019 - 10:51pm