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Point of View Columns

When Evil is Less Than Evil

Like Ryan Newman, the Daytona 500 driver whose car crashed over the finish line upside down, almost killing Newman in the process, the Democratic Party is careening down some unmarked highway leading to Milwaukee in July. And perhaps, like Newman, the Democrats will emerge from this crash of a presidential selection process without burning and dying.

Which brings us to this seemingly novel and unknowable dilemma about whether, in selecting a president or any other office holder, voters should ever “settle” for the lesser of two evils. Seemingly, there is a presumption that somehow, somewhere, there is a gaggle of perfect candidates that obviate the need for choosing between evils.

And it is that angst that seems to be accompanying the discussion regarding a possible match up between Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg in November of this year. The flaws, errors, faults and multiple disgraces that are Trump are so numerous that they would exhaust the storage space on most commercially available flash drives.

Michael Bloomberg, on the other hand, has allotted close to $10 billion dollars of his personal fortune to a vast multitude of good works ranging from global environmental protection to motorcycle helmets in Vietnam to gun control in the United States (it should be noted that in his lifetime Trump may have given away $10 of his personal fortune for some cause, but because he won’t release his tax records we may never know the truth). But, as is the case with Trump there are flaws, errors, faults and multiple disgraces that are part of the Bloomberg narrative.

And while these negatives could never approach the magnitude of the hot mess that is Trump, one cannot easily overlook the human wreckage occasioned by Bloomberg’s Stop and Frisk policy in New York City. The Bloomberg’s company has sealed up stories of sexual discrimination and gender abuse with ironclad nondisclosure agreements – but clearly there is something that Bloomberg would rather not disclose and it can’t be very good. One point should be kept in mind however – Bloomberg is not Trump.

Bloomberg’s misguided and stunningly ignorant explanation of the cause of the Great Recession being connected to the elimination of race-based redlining practices by banks is at the very least unbecoming an otherwise intelligent and well-informed man. At worst he is giving voice to racist tendencies which would give him something in common with many Americans. But, one point should be kept in mind – Bloomberg is not Trump.

The fact that Bloomberg is clearly prepared to spend a billion dollars in order to get elected and/or defeat Trump (he has committed resources to the eventual nominee, even if it is not him – which is something the other leading candidates should say – and soon). This colossal and brazen attempt to literally buy an election will transform this country’s electoral process – either paving the way for the eventual repeal of Citizens United or turning the White House into an Airbnb for billionaires. But, one point should be kept in mind – Bloomberg is not Trump.

There seems to be a growing tendency for there to be some kind of purity test in the Democratic Party in choosing the eventual presidential candidate. And so we are witness to all kinds of revelations which should derail the candidacy of:

  • Sanders – After all he isn’t even a Democrat and he voted against gun control measures and he has a barely discernible record when it comes to the issues and challenges facing Black America. But Sanders isn’t Trump.
  • Buttigieg – Every one of the five borough presidents in New York City presides over a larger government than Buttigieg in South Bend, Indiana. And Buttigieg wouldn’t know anything about issues facing Latinos or Black Americans unless someone hit in the head with a “Black Lives Matter” placard. But Buttigieg isn’t Trump.
  • Klobuchar – While Minneapolis-St. Paul is a major American city, it is difficult to conjure up an argument that would convince anyone that she is ready to tackle the issues facing a rapidly urbanizing America. And her record as a prosecutor certainly indicates some complicity in the race-based problems that are characteristic of the United States of Jail. But Klobuchar isn’t Trump.
  • Biden – His conduct of the Clarence Thomas hearings, his sponsorship of the Omnibus Crime Bill which established the foundation for the New Jim Crow are hardly shining stars on his record. But Biden isn’t Trump.
  • Warren – The idea that her record as a law school professor and a U.S. Senator with a plan for everything qualifies her to be President of the United States might be a stretch for many voters. But Warren isn’t Trump.
  • Bloomberg – Bloomberg isn’t Trump

Without belaboring the point any further, it is amazing that given the very clear and present danger that another four years of Trump as president represents, there are too many Democrats and independents concerning themselves with choosing the perfect candidate – when the only criteria worth considering is who is the best man or woman to beat Trump on November 3, 2020.

It is a dangerous myth that there are, or ever will be, perfect candidates. Those who bemoan having to make a choice between “the lesser of two evils” seem to forget that true evil occupies the White House right now and cleaning out the White House should be the only priority right now.

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Point of View Columns

Weekend Edition – July 15, 2011

What a week it has been…..just about wherever you are in the United States it is boilingstupidhot, so try and stay cool. But it is hard to stay cool when watching the twin forces of greed and meanness surface in the debt ceiling/budget debate. Meanwhile the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is finally going to remove the name “Nigger Lake” from its official records – that only took a few hundred years. And last, but not least, the Texas State Board of Education has renewed its efforts to introduce creationism into science courses taught in that state, presumably to make sure that Texas students get dumb and stay dumb.

For the Love of Money

Here is a brief primer on the current debt ceiling/budget debate. While there are many moving parts to this grand conflict and true philosophical battle between President Obama and the Democrats on one side and the G.O.Tea Party on the other, facts do matter:

1. Social Security and Medicare are key elements of the social services safety net in this country. Proposed cuts to these programs (cuts that have been demanded by the G.O.Tea Party as the price for raising the country’s debt ceiling and avoiding an economic Armageddon) will inflict true hardship and real pain on millions of Americans, typically men, women and children who can least afford any more pain and hardship in their lives.

2. The G.O.Tea Party has pledged to wreck this country’s international credit ratings for years to come rather than raise taxes or eliminate deductions that wealthy individuals and mammoth corporations have used to avoid paying taxes.

3. In this tax-friendly environment Google has an effective tax rate of 2.4%, Microsoft profits are up by 30% and General Electric pays no taxes on 2010 profits of $10 billion and has received a $3.2 billion tax credit. (Please note that General Electric also received a $140 billion taxpayer funded bailout.)
The presumed logic of the G.O.Tea Party is that any increase in taxes will “kill jobs”. What we know is that after over a decade of reducing corporate and personal taxes the rich are richer, the wealthy are wealthier, and the supremely profitable companies are raking in profits while creating few, if any, new jobs. And somehow the poor, the elderly, the working middle class are supposed to pay for phony wars, tax subsidies for the rich and bear the burden of reduced social services.

I doubt that many Americans actually signed up for this cruise. But right now we are on boat to Nowhere, and getting there fast.

What’s in a Name?

I read the news today…..oh boy! The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced that it is removing the name “Nigger Lake” from it official records. This upstate lake has been on the official records of the state of New York for decades, if not centuries.

No one knows the origins of the lake’s name, but I would hazard a guess that if someone were to dredge that lake they would find the waterlogged remains of its namesake.

This little story should serve as a reminder regarding how far this country has come – and how far it still has to go.

Visiting the Tomb of Adam and Eve

Barbara Cargill was appointed by Texas Governor Rick Perry (and soon to be G.O.Tea Party presidential candidate) as the chair of the Texas State Board of Education. She has stated that her mission is to bring “Christian values” to public education in Texas beginning with a requirement that creationism as a scientifically valid alternative to the theory of evolution.

Perhaps Ms. Cargill could better spend her time searching for the tomb of Adam and Eve or the wreckage of Noah’s Ark. Unfortunately she seems intent on seeing that the students in the Texas public school system will be ignorant of basic scientific theories and principles.

Chemistry, biology, physiology, astronomy and geology cannot be taught usefully from a curriculum based upon creationism. To ask the students in Texas, or anywhere else, to be ignorant during the most competitive economic times in the history of the planet is…..well, just ignorant.

Have a great weekend!

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