Coming February 6, 2024 . . .
MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE
by Michael Wolraich
Pre-order at Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Books-A-Million / Bookshop
Coming February 6, 2024 . . . MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE by Michael Wolraich Pre-order at Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Books-A-Million / Bookshop |
What a fight over the local library in my hometown in rural Arkansas taught me about my neighbors’ go-it-alone mythology — and Donald Trump’s unbeatable appeal.
Guest op-ed by Monica Potts @ NYTimes.com, Oct. 5 (Ms. Potts is working on a book about low-income women in Arkansas.)
[....] The battle began on the Facebook post, which had 240 comments by the end. The first comment came from Amie Hamilton, who reiterated her point when I interviewed her several months later. “If you want to make $25 an hour, please go to a city that can afford it,” she wrote. “We the people are not here to pay your excessive salaries through taxation or in any other way.”
There was general agreement among the Facebook commenters that no one in the area was paid that much — the librarian’s wages would have worked out to be about $42,200 a year — and the people who do actually earn incomes that are similar — teachers and many county officials — largely remained quiet. (Clinton has a median income of $34,764 and a poverty rate of 22.6 percent.) When a few of us, including me, pointed out that the candidate for the library job had a master’s degree, more people commented on the uselessness of education [....]
Comments
Potts conclusion after a detailed narrative and explanation:
by artappraiser on Sun, 10/06/2019 - 10:37am
Warren's 22+plans will be a negative, they view government as evil. Even if they are on one or more of the plethora of federal safety net/retirement programs, which in many rural counties, is around half the population.
by NCD on Sun, 10/06/2019 - 11:15am
I was thinking the same thing. And also thinking: this is why Trump fears Biden. Biden can attract some of these people, he knows how to do "third way" with what we used to call "Reagan Dems".
by artappraiser on Sun, 10/06/2019 - 11:44am
Assuming Bernie's out within 2 months, and Biden's a bit hobbled by this scandal, there'll be a new set of contenders.
(note: Bernie's heart attack probably doesn't help any of the older candidates, at least if he drops out - suddenly people are reminded age is a gravity they can't deny. Combine that with more attention to Hunter, & Biden's good guy image can lose some sheen.)
Oddly I see Cory Booker as the new sincere younger old white man to Biden - unable to get enough oxygen while Joe was still around, but forceful as that reassuring nice guy who can get along with most anyone.That he's black seems to have largely been ignored til now. Which could mean he can have it both ways, a bit like Obama, but I think it will be easier for him.
Warren has been "reasonable", but I think without Bernie running to her left, & her soaking up some of his big ideas, she'll have a tougher time - though in primary season, the left always blazes away at the pack, and if she's the farthest to the left yet still likable with good economy chops for the left-center, it might simplify her path to the nomination, at which point her election in the generals changes the whole dynamic.
I don't know where Kamala Harris fits into all this - I still don't feel her as having enough depth for this year's run, but I'm not paying that close of attention.
Yang gets some flurries of excitement, but i don't think he's sophisticated or wily enough to present himself - a bit of a Gomer Pyle aw shucks that kind of kills the deal, despite having some interesting experience & ideas.
I'm also thinking Tom Steyer will have a much bigger effect once he's seriously in front of people - having big pockets to now push the ideas he's successfully backed through advocacy these last years.
Tulsi Gabbard? everyone thinks she's a Russia-supported shill. No chance.
by PeraclesPlease on Sun, 10/06/2019 - 12:47pm
Let me be clear that I don't know if the candidate needs these "Reagan Dem" people to win anymore. I haven't studied the voting demographic that well, but judging from the miid terms, the suburban swings who hate Trump might be enough. But to govern? Ah there's the rub. How to lower the level of divisiveness, can't hurt to have someone seen as a centrist with Trump still around, and he still will be around unless he dies. Helpful to have someone who knows how to handle trolling, too. Is all I was thinking.
Should be said that Warren tries real hard to win over this type, with: government can help, we can fix this, it's just t that nobody has tackled the rigged system. Maybe she can do enough of it.
by artappraiser on Sun, 10/06/2019 - 1:31pm
This is not an area where I feel any competence at all to be spouting off. But I just want to point out that Hillary won by almost 3 million votes and 2 percentage points. Despite the fact that she carried a lot of negative baggage that had accumulated over decades.
by ocean-kat on Sun, 10/06/2019 - 1:38pm
here's the "black church lady" contingent:
mho, they have certain things in common with "Reagan Dems" and they tend to want moderate Dems. Don't know how urban/rural works here, though. I can certainly see some more rural and/or older blacks disliking Kamala Harris' style, that's for sure.
by artappraiser on Sun, 10/06/2019 - 1:42pm
Kamala Harris would be a good Attorney General candidate. Eric Holder had the baggage of sentencing people for marijuana use when he was a judge, so Harris may still be a viable option. Both Harris and Booker suffer because black voters don't think white voters are ready for another black President. If she tanks in both of the early white states, she will be toast in South Carolina, just like Booker.
by rmrd0000 on Mon, 10/07/2019 - 2:53pm
From what I see, Booker's 2nd best compared to Bernie, Joe & Warren for their various strengths, though he's possibly the best all around candidate. But "finishes 2nd most of the time" doesn't win presidencies. If 1 or 2 drop out, his star may rise.
Oh, did Huffpost just say much the same thing? I'm so clever...
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cory-booker-voters-2020-election_n_5d76ac...
by PeraclesPlease on Mon, 10/07/2019 - 3:33pm
I don't know how Booker plays with the common people. I'm not a common person. But he's 2nd worse to Biden imo. He's just not old. Maybe people want a bipartisan president who will bring civility and compromise back to Washington but I think that's a pipe dream. I want a president that will do whatever it takes to get as much accomplished as is possible if democrats get power. I want only whatever compromise it takes to get it done. If we can do it without any compromise, so much the better.
by ocean-kat on Mon, 10/07/2019 - 4:23pm