Hammering at the Drawbridge

“It is not inevitable that what passes for progress in our age involves the concentration of power into a small number of hands and the issuance of stories about the powerful being fighters for the little guy.” Anand Giridharadas

The canny strategists and tacticians of the Democratic Party establishment, along with media yakkers like Chris Matthews, are losing their shit over Bernie Sanders. If you listen to James Carville, the ragin’ Cajun who last ran a successful presidential campaign in 1992 -- and traded that one experience to become, for some strange reason, a go-to political sage -- the rise of Sanders to clear front runner is akin to the end of Western Civilization.

Not would-be-tyrant Donald J. Trump, mind you, Bernie Sanders, the avuncular Jew from Vermont. That’s the threat. Bernie Sanders, and what he represents to the rulers, the owners, the propertied and privileged. Potential loss of wealth, which means, by definition, status and privilege -- and power. Higher taxes on the obscenely wealthy and corporations, a turn away from grotesque income inequality, which could make the rich less rich, and the powerful less powerful. Some societal sharing of the spoils, some action on behalf of the earth itself, some regard for human life. Scary stuff. Better elect Joe Biden. Or Mike Bloomberg. Or AnybodyButBernie. 

Change. Always fought tooth and nail. You want something from the haves, you best be prepared for a battle; with the exception of a very few enlightened ones, they will fight you with equal fury to hold what they have. That’s the deal at its most elemental. It’s primal, emotional. It’s why Trump appeals to millions of Americans. What did playing by the established rules do for them? They feel overrun by change, by women and minorities and foreigners, by Barack Obama, the first black president. By liberal elites who think they’re stupid losers. 

Writing on the Counterpunch website John Eskow said: “Lets’ spare ourselves months of these subtle, rapier-like rhetorical thrusts and cut, as they say, to the chase: the Democratic Party, with James Carville serving as just one of their low-rent Paul Reveres, is screaming out a warning: it doesn’t matter if Bernie Sanders sweeps all, or most, of the remaining primaries, as he seems certain to do. It doesn’t matter what the plurality of Democrats actually wants: their hopes, their passions, their dreams mean nothing.

They’re simply not going to let him win.”

The image in my head is of a sailor holding the rigging of a clipper ship as the vessel takes on water, a hurricane force wind howls and shreds the sails, and jagged rock formations appear dead ahead. A collision is unavoidable, but the sailor is determined to hang on, no matter what. He tightens his grip as the fierce wind hurls water into his eyes and mouth and nose, gagging him. If he jumps overboard he might stand a chance, but his fear of the open sea is greater than his fear of the ship slamming into the rocks. 

If the all-out media assault against Sanders doesn’t work, how are the Big Cheeses of the Democratic Party going to prevent Sanders from claiming the nomination? What procedural machinations do they have in store to thwart Bernie? Will it resemble the 1944 convention when Henry Wallace was shunted aside by the men in the smoke-filled room and replaced by the more palatable Harry Truman? Will Sanders be labelled as the reincarnation of George McGovern? Democrats are haunted to this day by the ghosts and ghouls of 1972. Ever since McGovern, the Democrats have tacked right, and in doing so have become indistinguishable from what were once known as “moderate” Republicans. With the help of Bill Clinton, Robert Rubin, Larry Summers, Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden, many, many others, the list is very long, Democrats bought the whole neoliberal catalog: tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, privatization of essential public services, outsourcing of manufacturing jobs to low wage nations, wars of choice that never end, assaults on labor unions, lax antitrust enforcement, monetary policy that prioritized investors over wage earners, and lip-service to the climate emergency.  

Who does Putin want, Sanders or Trump? The corporate media can’t seem to make up its mind. 

At least once a week a mailer a week from the Bloomberg campaign appears in my mailbox. If Bloomberg’s data geniuses are sending mailers to people like me they obviously have money to waste. According to his propaganda, Mike will fix all our problems with his billionaire brilliance. Climate change? Mike will solve it. Health care? Mike’s on it. Gun violence? Mike will bring the NRA to heel. Foot fungus? Trust Mike to cure it. Ditto acid reflux and occasional constipation and flatulence and dry mouth and dandruff. 

Politics is about taking credit for stuff you didn’t do, and blaming others for stuff you did do. All politicians, local, state and federal, play this game to some extent, though some are more shameless than others. Joe Biden comes to mind. A fool so full of hubris that he cannot see that his time is long past. The average voter wants fantasy, like the notion that a billionaire like Bloomberg has the answers, or a total fraud like Donald J. Trump cares about working people. Got news for you -- money cannot buy integrity, honesty, or passion for justice. The quadrennial election circus is built to obscure, downplay, and paper over the serious problems hammering at the drawbridge of the American Empire. 

If America is to stand a chance of survival, the pendulum has to begin swinging back, away from corporate dominance and the commodification of our lives. By himself, Bernie Sanders cannot move the pendulum. But if Sanders can grow a progressive movement that gains traction in the House and Senate, in state and local government -- a big If I realize -- we might have a shot. I’m not holding my breath, but I voted for Bernie Sanders. 

Things I’m Watching:

Richard Grenell, Trump’s “acting” Director of National Intelligence. Grenell’s a total political hack, unqualified in every respect except for his loyalty to Trump. His sole job will be to deep six any intelligence that ties foreign interference in the 2020 election to Trump.

How the Trump Gang responds to the coronavirus when it takes hold on our fruited plain. When it comes to a pandemic, incompetence is a bad thing. Late update: I just learned that our genuis president put Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the response. I’d say we’re screwed. 

Whether or not Chief Justice John Roberts defends the integrity of the Supreme Court against Trump’s ignorant (but very calculated) attacks. It will not be a reassuring sign if Roberts hides behind his robes, meek and silent.  

What happens when the Supreme Court takes up the case of Trump’s tax returns. It’s obvious that Trump is desperate to keep his returns from public scrutiny. Those returns are a map.