The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
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    My Irrelevant Rant: Donald Trump, Debbie Wasserman Schulz, Howard Dean & Me

    By tmccarthy0 on Sat, 12/19/2015 - 11:44am |

    It all began in July, Donald Trump was on TV continuously, I had a dental appointment coming up. I slept very deeply the night before my appointment and I was dreaming, I mean having a nightmare.  I sat straight up in bed scared to death, because I'd dreamt Donald Trump was my dentist. There he was standing over my face, dye job gone wrong red hair and his his skin was a light cheeto tint, it was disturbing and probably true, but I've never been that close to Donald Trump to say that is absolutely factual. His assistant was everything you would expect of a Trump assistant.

    The first occurrence of Trump inspired racism came almost three weeks ago at my bus stop. I'm waiting for the D which takes me directly to the ferry. I work fairly early hours, so it's around 330 PM and I am on my way home. I hear someone ranting not far from me but can't see them. This D-Line stop can be a funny stop, I've been serenaded by drunk people at this stop, and one day a man walks up to me and says his name and asks if I have money for coffee all he needs is 50 cents, and then he happily says I"ve lived here for 25 years and I have my own apartment! He was so happy, it actually made me happy. Yes I gave him some bucks for coffee. So generally it is a pretty safe spot. And it's Seattle during the day. This guy gets louder and suddenly a Filipina lady shows up next to me and she looks unnerved, she keeps looking in the direction of the ranter  I ask her if anything is wrong and she says, that guy is crazy. She said, he thought she looked at him, so he began to yell at her. But what he is yelling is what is disturbing, he isn't your average crazy guy, he is yelling at her to go back to her country of terrorists. He came closer to her and kept yelling at her, he crossed the street and kept yelling at her. It was unnerving.  Ugh, so rude and embarrassing and what.the.hell. She was pretty shaken up, so she got on the very next bus that arrived. I waited for my bus. After I got on, and we stopped at the next stop, she was there and hopped on. We chatted for a bit longer, She was from the PI, me too, we talked about home, etc. She was about 5 feet tall at the most, and a tiny woman, who works hard to make herself a good life. I was floored at the outright meanness and it was scary. I did curse Donald Trump that day, I do blame him. But I guess you could chalk it up to just a stupid, weird, terrible incident, maybe not related to anything.

    But then this past week rolled around and it happened again, twice, in two days.  My daughter had some appointments at the hospital,. follow ups with her surgeon and other practitioners, and i've been going with her for the follow up appointments.  Monday they were running a bit late, but we found out why, a Trump Supporter patient attacked the nurse and doctor. The nurse is a black man, originally from the Ivory Coast, he is a citizen he's been here 30 years. The patient was arrested because he attacked our nurse, and the doctor, and while he did it he yelled at the nurse, telling him to go back, to his Muslim country?? WTF. Yikes.

    Then Wednesday rolled around and we returned to the hospital for two more appointments. Guess what, while I was sitting waiting for her to return from her last appointment some old guy wanted to talk to me about how great Donald Trump is and how he tells it like it is. He wouldn't stop. I finally said to him, "I don't want to talk about Donald Trump, I hate him with every fiber of my being".  He says, "That's fair". But I can't even look at him to be civil after that, I admit I was really feeling extremely agitated.  I am genuinely shocked that people aren't embarrassed to say they like Donald Trump and support his ideas.  It hit me hard Wednesday after we visited the Bruce Lee gravesite. Trump could actually be the Republican nominee. Oh shit.  His candidacy has unleashed a cavalcade of racism, xenophobia and even worse, the dumb, he has unleashed the dumb and we are going to pay for it, all of us if he gets anywhere near the Whitehouse. 

    This leads me to the scandal that should never have been. While I do believe it was incredibly dumb of Sanders former Digital Director to do what he did, incredibly dumb. What the hell DWS? When the Republicans are literally punching themselves in the face, you decided it would be a good idea to stir the pot of conspiracy.  I'm pretty pissed this couldn't be resolved immediately, HRC doesn't need this kind of 'help'. In fact Democrats in general don't need this kind of 'help'. So this is stupid. I think one of the biggest disagreements I ever had with the President is when he fired Howard Dean and appointed DWS to head the DNC. Dean was the best leader the DNC ever had, those victories in 2008 should be attributed to his hard work and great ideas on expanding voter registration and getting people to the polls. I don't know. So Democrats really need to come together eventually. Sanders is going to be very important in the general election, very important, I would treat him and his staff with a little more respect so we can hold the party together so that cheeto colored megalomaniac doesn't color our Whitehouse, Trump Gold.

    Comments

    Yeah, killing off the 50-state plan allowed for steady attrition to the GOP. Dean has his issues, but he was the biggest motivator. As much as DWS, Obama encouraged the GOP by keeping them at the table no matter how much they turned blue and acted not only immature, but completely treasonous in trying to poison the bathtub they wanted to drown democracy in. 8 years later, they feel entitled to say any such bullshit, and the media can't even be bothered to refute sheer nonsense anymore.

    And yet we give them a free scandal for us to melt down with. Great, substitute continuous bloviating Trump headlines for Democratic lack-of-integrity in-fighting (I'm just loving the "Hillary set Bernie up with this" conspiracy fomenting... NOT). Let's see how tonight's debate looks, but it will be framed in terms of scandal and everyone will be looking for the glare from one candidate to another, not say a policy talk. Dumb.

    & yeah, I sympathize re: the Trump kooks walking around. They make my generation's bathtub meth addicts seem sane in comparison.


    by PeraclesPlease on Sat, 12/19/2015 - 1:49pm

    Considering the fact that approximately noone was expected to watch the debate tonight, maybe even bad attention is better than none. Works for Republicans.


    by barefooted on Sat, 12/19/2015 - 2:34pm

    Republican rules are different - they can lie about videos of Planned Parenthood or Muslims in New Jersey cheering, and it's just another day. Hillary can talk about asking to be part of the space program as a kid or Al Gore says he worked on a farm & helped launch the internet as Senator, and they're immediately liars. Same media, different standards. Rule #1: Don't feed the trolls.


    by PeraclesPlease on Sat, 12/19/2015 - 5:01pm

    It's been a weird few weeks that is for sure. But I do agree that Dean was much better at growing the party, DWS just isn't.


    by tmccarthy0 on Sat, 12/19/2015 - 9:15pm

    For the party regulars that have been worrying about whether or not the young Sanders supporters will support Clinton if she wins the nomination, this is no way to keep them in the fold.  If anything, it gives them one more reason, if they lose, to sit on their hands and stay home.   This seems like a heavy-handed attempt to tilt the playing field by embarrassing the guy who has a reputation for integrity.  You think his supporters won't resent that?  Dream on. 

    You're right, Sanders is going to be very important in the general election if Hillary wins the nomination.  Whoever thought it was a good idea to issue a press release that made Sanders look bad, should be fired.  This should have been handled with diplomacy and tact, not with a cudgel.


    by MrSmith1 on Sat, 12/19/2015 - 5:00pm

    We can replay post-Versailles "knife in the back" resentment among the German military - seems like there's a "we wuz wronged" angle on every block. I didn't realize Saturday night TV was such a difficult hurdle in the age of smartphones, but I guess it's a disability like everything else.


    by PeraclesPlease on Sat, 12/19/2015 - 5:42pm

    Getting the press involved was absurd. Full stop.

    But how this whole thing - including the Sanders campaign staffers accessing data and the vendor software "glitch" - became Hillary Clinton's fault is beyond me.


    by barefooted on Sat, 12/19/2015 - 6:01pm

    Clinton rules. You know, she's the inauthentic schemer who controls the Democratic machinery, and not a pin drops or sparrow falls without her being behind it.


    by PeraclesPlease on Sat, 12/19/2015 - 6:17pm

    Exactly. 


    by tmccarthy0 on Sat, 12/19/2015 - 9:14pm

    I actually work with a bunch of those young people and they are going to vote regardless, at least that is what they tell me. Are they pro-Sanders, yes, are they dumb, not that I can see. But I do think it was an unfortunate that this is news, that the campaign lost access to their data, all  of that. I just don't think that was necessary at all. 

    In the end the party will come together, just like it did in 2008, because it has to, it doesn't matter who the nominee happens to be, we are fighting off Republicans from taking complete control And 2016 is all about the Supreme Court. Let's not forget that to roll back Citizen's United, we need a change on the court and we need to preserve what we already have.


    by tmccarthy0 on Sat, 12/19/2015 - 7:40pm

    I agree with Mr. Smith.  Not only the young supporters but lots of other supporters. I have been trying to let you all know that. 


    by trkingmomoe on Sat, 12/19/2015 - 7:59pm

    And I agree with you. Regardless of who was right and who was wrong [and does anyone believe that concluding who was right and who was wrong suddenly became a driving force in deciding who to vote for] the Clinton election team and the DNC employed a bad, counter-productive strategy in their response. Assuming Hillary will get the nomination, the only important affect will be on those Democrats who don't like Hillary but intend to hold their nose and vote for her. The whole thing is one more straw on Hillary's back. 


    by A Guy Called LULU on Sat, 12/19/2015 - 8:23pm

    I also do not believe full grown adults are going to go nuts and let a Republican in office if they can stop it. I've seen this movie before, it played in 2008.  HRC's voters turned out in droves to vote for the President, and i fully expect Sanders voters to do the same thing, full stop.

    Why, because in 2016 the Supreme Court is on the radar, it is aging, and that is the only chance we have to reverse decision like Citizens United.  And if people do sit out and Trump turns the Whitehouse gold, they deserve every single thing that comes down the pike which is going to be terrible, but if you all can't see that, there isn't anything we can do about it.


    by tmccarthy0 on Sat, 12/19/2015 - 9:13pm

    I had someone tell me Friday that if Hillary wins the nomination that "Trump Whitehouse" neon sign will be mounted across the top of the Whitehouse, like "Trump Towers."  It will be yuuug and very classy like Trump. LOL...I can see all now.  

    Many have given up with voting because they are disappointed with only the corporations getting what ever they want no matter if it is good for the country or not. OWS only scratched the surface of the discontent. .

    Sanders has sparked an interest in them this cycle. Not all of them identify with the Democratic Party or feel that the Democratic Party has moved in the 1990's too far right leaving them behind.

    You are not going to scare them into voting for Clinton with the Supreme Court or telling them how bad things are going to be after they already have lost almost everything. Clinton rattling all those sabers in this last debate isn't going to convince them to vote for her. Her 5 point comprehensive plans on issues only reminds them of double speak.  

    This is the natural base for the Democratic party. It is up to Clinton to give them a reason to vote for her. Until she does that she will not be in the Whitehouse.    


    by trkingmomoe on Sun, 12/20/2015 - 6:38am

    Many have given up with voting because they are disappointed with only the corporations getting what ever they want no matter if it is good for the country or not.

    I think this is just a rationalization that liberals use to explain to them selves why liberals keep losing. It's a chicken vs egg argument. The margin of victory is usually so small if just a small percentage of non-voters, as little as 10%, voted for liberals they could elect progressives across the board. Or they could get rid of every corporate stooge in congress. But they don't vote because there are too many corporate stooges in congress?

    Are liberals what the American people want? In one of the bluest states Warren barely beat Scott Brown. Sanders can't even win in the democratic party.

    I do think the center is closer to the liberals than the far right since the right wing republlicans have gone off the rails. But America is not liberal.

    Every generation has to be dragged kicking and screaming into the future by a small group of far sighted liberals. Their children accept the changes as the new norm and usually support them but give no credit to the liberals that brought about those changes. They, in their turn, have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the future by a small group of far sighted liberals.

    The mass of the population fear change. It's always been this way and likely always will be.


    by ocean-kat on Sun, 12/20/2015 - 1:11pm

    You said it!!!!  I wish we could "like" posts here. Nothing to add...well done!


    by CVille Dem on Sun, 12/20/2015 - 2:48pm

    I am genuinely shocked that people aren't embarrassed to say they like Donald Trump and support his ideas.

    Trump has mastered the art of showbiz wish fulfillment and that is appealing.  He uses techniques that have worked for a very long time.  There are people who like him even as they disagree with him because they see him as an anti-hero.  It is for this reason that Darth Vader is one of the most popular Star Wars characters.  It is for this reason that modern pro wrestling audiences cheer the villains who show the least remorse or shame (like Trump's real life pal, Vince McMahon).  But it goes back much farther than that.  Shakespeare made a hero of Macbeth.


    by Michael Maiello on Sat, 12/19/2015 - 6:00pm

    Yes I think you are right Mike, but I think that Trump isn't an anti-hero at all and I can't figure out why they do not see he is a giant cheeto colored con-man with bad hair. Ugh, how can they not see through all of his BS?


    by tmccarthy0 on Sat, 12/19/2015 - 7:45pm

    Sadly, this triple haiku response:

     

    Sometimes, people WANT
    to believe the bullshit. They
    just need a reason.

    Why would they want that?
    Because believing is easy,
    Democracy's hard.

    Clowns as truth tellers
    have a long history ... Trump
    pretends he's a clown.


    by MrSmith1 on Sat, 12/19/2015 - 9:45pm

    That last line makes it a classic haiku. Well done, well said, good haiku.


    by A Guy Called LULU on Sat, 12/19/2015 - 11:29pm

    I think MrSmith1 has the answer...

    I'd only add that you and I (and I suspect, MrSmith1) would all hate fiction's antiheroes in real life.  Can you imagine our blogs about Batman or The Punisher?


    by Michael Maiello on Sun, 12/20/2015 - 12:49am

    As one might suspect,
    fictional antiheroes
    are real-life's pricks.


    by MrSmith1 on Sun, 12/20/2015 - 1:09am

    Loved it, Tmc.


    by Oxy Mora on Mon, 12/21/2015 - 10:46am

    I sure hope that the people who are passing along the "there's no way I'm ever voting for Hillary" crap are just being blowhards, using it as a tactic to get people to vote for Sanders, but one way or another, it's pissing me off. Had I been even remotely inclined to vote for Bernie, I wouldn't, and I'm frankly pretty embarrassed to have even a few dems talking like that. Vote for whoever you want in the primaries. But come the general? The very idea that it would be better to stay home or write in Bernie if Hillary is the nominee is flat out crazy talk. Hillary would be worse than ANYONE of the repub contenders? No frickin' way.


    by stillidealistic on Mon, 12/21/2015 - 11:53pm

    It's striking that those who support Clinton are largely complimentary of Sanders - but by no means is it reciprocated. There's a sadness about that. I have to wonder if it's an insurgency rather than a real campaign for the office of the presidency ... with all the realistic ugliness, fist-fighting and ability to dance that it entails.

    Sanders is one note. A beautiful note, a dreamy backdrop to the wails of the disenfranchised. There's no arguing his on-point sincerity or the importance of his message, but none of it matters if America won't elect him.

    If it did, how far would his agenda get? He has said that it would be a slow process, during which voters would elect more progressive leaders over time - or push current Congressional members to acquiesce to liberal policies. He's betting on a revolution to stand behind him with the same strength that it will hypothetically use to elect him. Is that realistic, or will he - if elected - disappoint his supporters when little that they support is accomplished?

    I've never been particularly good at looking into the future, but in the present age of Trump and Cruz, I'm betting on Hillary Clinton.


    by barefooted on Tue, 12/22/2015 - 12:54am

    Sanders is one note. A beautiful note, a dreamy backdrop to the wails of the disenfranchised. There's no arguing his on-point sincerity or the importance of his message, but none of it matters if America won't elect him.

    Barefooted, that is an amazing sentence.  I'm sorry to say it's true.  I sincerely wish it weren't.  We desperately need a president of the people--it's long past time--but I just can't see Bernie Sanders in that role.  I can't quite see Hillary in that role, either, but you're right that no president will be able to accomplish Bernie's (and our) dreams.  Not in this climate.  Not yet. Maybe not ever.

    If by some chance Bernie gets the nomination it'll take moving mountains to get him elected, and I can only hope the people screaming and yelling for him today are still there until the last vote is cast next November.  I doubt that that will happen, either.  We have a history of the young ones cheering on the populists, only to disappear when the going gets tough.  Humphrey, McGovern, McCarthy. . .all left in the dust.

    I suspect many of the Bernie people throwing out nasty junk are new to politics, drawn in by Bernie's populist message and feverish to get it done by any means possible.  They'll be the death of him, I'm afraid, but I've stopped telling them that.  In fact, I've stopped paying much attention to them at all.  

    There are other Bernie supporters who are fighting hard to get him elected but can't bring themselves to support Hillary, and I respect that.  But they're not the ones who are attacking her.  They know we're in danger of a full Republican rout and they'll be with us to keep that from happening.


    by Ramona on Tue, 12/22/2015 - 10:52am

    Bernie Sanders is Going To Win! 


    by synchronicity on Tue, 12/29/2015 - 7:31pm

    I agree with sync.  


    by trkingmomoe on Tue, 12/29/2015 - 7:49pm

    That's a take. Wrap it, we're through here. "True Bern: Cooking with Gasoline", the story of the 2016 transformation of power, and how a little known activist smoked out the political conglomerate, coming to theaters near you.


    by PeraclesPlease on Wed, 12/30/2015 - 1:40am