The 1980s was a decade of genocide for the LGBT community. An epidemic had hit. The sexually marginalized were dropping dead and it went ignored by the government, went exploited by the business class and went celebrated by the far-right. Rev. Jerry Falwell, head of the Moral Majority, preached, “AIDS is the wrath of God upon homosexuals.” Patrick Buchanan, Reagan’s Communications Director, said AIDS was “nature’s revenge on gay men.” The Catholic hierarchy did everything it could in public affairs to prevent AIDS education and protection for victims to take place (sound familiar?). A little unknown disk jockey at the time, by the name of Rush Limbaugh, even gained his career by listing the names of gay men who died of the disease on his radio show then would press an applause or laughing button to show his joy in their death. (Thanks to Ryne Poelker.)
The 1980s was a decade of genocide for the LGBT community. An epidemic had hit. The sexually marginalized were dropping dead and it went ignored by the government, went exploited by the business class and went celebrated by the far-right. Rev. Jerry Falwell, head of the Moral Majority, preached, “AIDS is the wrath of God upon homosexuals.” Patrick Buchanan, Reagan’s Communications Director, said AIDS was “nature’s revenge on gay men.” The Catholic hierarchy did everything it could in public affairs to prevent AIDS education and protection for victims to take place (sound familiar?). A little unknown disk jockey at the time, by the name of Rush Limbaugh, even gained his career by listing the names of gay men who died of the disease on his radio show then would press an applause or laughing button to show his joy in their death. (Thanks to Ryne Poelker.)
President Reagan’s first speech on the subject wasn’t until May 31, 1987. By then, more than twenty-five thousand people, the majority of them gay men, had died in the United States. His Administration ridiculed people with AIDS—his spokesman, Larry Speakes, made jokes about them at press conferences—and while I do think it rude to speak ill of the dead, particularly on the day of a funeral, this issue cannot be ignored. Nancy Reagan refused to act in any way in 1985 to help her friend Rock Hudson when he was in Paris dying of AIDS. (Last year, Buzzfeed published documents that make this clear.)
Clinton’s comments caused an outcry and she apologized rapidly, writing, in a statement issued on Twitter, “While the Reagans were strong advocates for stem cell research and finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, I misspoke about their record on H.I.V. and AIDS. For that, I’m sorry.” She deserves recognition for that. But her correction, while not nearly as offensive as her earlier comments, was also misguided.
In the nineteen-eighties, I covered the AIDS epidemic and the stem-cell wars for the Washington Post. I do not recall any occasion on which Ronald Reagan said or did anything that could be considered as “strong” advocacy for stem-cell research. One son, Ron, Jr., was in favor of the research and said so at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, the year his father died. That same year, Michael, Reagan’s other son, made a statement about that issue to anti-abortion-rights publications, which nobody ever contradicted: “The media continues to report that the Reagan ‘family’ is in favor of [embryonic] stem cell research, when the truth is that two members of the family have been long time foes of this process of manufacturing human beings—my dad, Ronald Reagan during his lifetime, and I.”
The idea that Ronald Reagan finally did focus on AIDS, if only belatedly, is also a fiction. [...]
In 1990, when Ryan White died of AIDS, Reagan wrote a letter that ended with the words, “Ryan, my dear young friend, we will see you again.” But that letter really just shows the limits of Reagan’s sympathy. Ryan White was an absolutely delightful Indiana schoolboy who, in the early nineteen-eighties, received a transfusion of H.I.V.-infected blood. So he was an “innocent” AIDS victim, unlike the gay men Reagan did not like to mention. It is no coincidence that Reagan would feel comfortable singling White out to honor, nor is it by chance that the single biggest piece of H.I.V. legislation ever enacted in the United States is called the Ryan White Act.
(Clinton expanded her original apology on Saturday, as noted by The Advocate.)
"No leadership, no strategy, no coordination, no structure and inaccessible to ordinary Iraqis."
That was British envoy John Sawers' assessment of the U.S. occupation forces to Tony Blair in May 2003, four days after he arrived in Iraq. Three years ago. The scathing report was loaded into a memo even more scathingly titled "What's Going Wrong," one of a series of leaked documents given to The Guardian, which described the exchanges as peppered with "unusual frankness."
The memos—written in the immediate aftermath of Mr. Bush's infamous "Mission Accomplished" photo op on the USS Lincoln—detail a devastating ineptness and indifference at every level of the occupation.
Monday through Friday you can catch the Kagro in the Morning Show 9 AM ET by dropping in here, or you can download the Stitcher app (found in the app stores or at Stitcher.com), and find a live stream there, by searching for "Netroots Radio.”
Perhaps we should consider women’s struggle for equality to be like the tides—or rather, like ocean waves hitting the shore. Each time we make progress up the beach, we carry away a little of the sand as we recede back into the ocean.
As an example, the Equal Rights Amendment was passed by Congress in March 1972. The high water mark for the ERA probably occurred in 1979, when it was only three states short of ratification. We came so close to success before we receded under the gravitational force of the conservative backlash led by Phyllis Shlafly, who peddled the usual lie-based fears about equality for women.
On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court granted us control of our own bodies. The right to make a medical decision was taken out of the hands of the state and given back to women and their doctors. And for a few, brief years, abortion was as readily available to women as was a Pap smear. Today, unless you are wealthy, or living in a blue state, they are becoming increasingly hard to obtain. And so on another front, the slow erosion of what had once been considered our rights continues.
Meanwhile, this year on International Women’s Day, every single major cable network gave Donald Trump more than an hour for a veritable informercial while Hillary Clinton was giving an uncovered speech in Cleveland. Hello? Anybody there? WTF!?!?! Even Sanders’ campaign called foul:
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absolutely appalling that every network covered the guy hawking steaks instead of the former secretary of state.
Reports of the Republican Party's death have been greatly exaggerated, as Mark Twain might say.
Reports of the Republican Party's death have been greatly exaggerated, as Mark Twain might say.
As much as we’d like to believe the hype from hand-wringing Beltway pundits and terrified Republican office-holders, the Republican Party is not on the verge of an imminent collapse just because of the possible presidential nomination of Donald Trump.
Yes, the insiders despise frontrunner Trump and wish that he would disappear into a cloud of Cheeto-colored tanning spray. Many GOP officials worry about what will happen to the rest of the Republican candidates if the real estate mogul becomes the nominee. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas worries that Trump will be an “albatross” around the necks of those lower on the ballot. The reaction from Illinois Rep. Peter Roskam about a Trump candidacy was, “Heaven help us.” Super PACs have been launched to stop the Trump train. Past GOP luminaries (and we’re using that term loosely) such as 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney have been trotted out to discredit the Donald. Republicans are even considering Texas Sen. Ted Cruz as a better alternative, no matter how much he’s disliked. Even with all of these efforts, there hasn’t been much payoff: Trump is still racking up votes and delegates.
There have been an endless stream of stories, columns, and commentaries bemoaning “the end of the Republican Party as we know it” all over every kind of media, all because of Trump’s candidacy. These are the same reporters, columnists, and commentators who usually like to declare that “Democrats are in disarray” at any sign of discord on the other side of the aisle.
If you Google “Republicans imploding” or something similar, you’ll get a wide range of stories with those words in the headlines, sometimes several per week. They started as soon as Trump declared his candidacy, continued on through the fall, and became especially frequent as Trump started amassing greater numbers of delegates on his way to a likely nomination. Actually, you see that same kind of headline with the same words every time Republicans lose an election.
The gatekeepers of the American plutocracy, the Republican Party, the corporate-owned media, and the corporate wing of the Democratic party are petrified. The tools that they have used to control and indoctrinate Americans are falling apart. The Powell Manifesto, the map written by Lewis Powell who subsequently became a Supreme Court Justice, is starting to lose its indoctrinating capabilities.
Americans are no longer thinking, living, and voting within the “allowable” parameters of the manifesto. Instead, they’re allowing themselves several options. They’re creating new possibilities. And most importantly, they’re voting for new possibilities.
Bernie Sanders' huge win in Michigan recently illustrates a very important fact: As long as every American has a vote and uses that vote, they are still sovereign from the plutocracy. Virtually the entire Democratic establishment has come out against Bernie Sanders. Liberal and conservative media have either been dismissive of him or negative toward him.
Above and beyond those headwinds, Bernie Sanders prevailed in Michigan, a state where the demographic data says (if one were indoctrinated by the corporate media) that he shouldn’t have won. Pollsters who chose models based on false expectations as opposed to a reality voters have been articulating for months were a disservice to us all. In fact, they likely depressed voter turnout on all sides.
The corporate media, the Republican Party establishment, and the corporate wing of the Democratic Party establishment are all wards of the American plutocracy. Both the Republican and Democratic establishments are using the media in an attempt to make both Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump unelectable. They have spent millions of dollars to do so. Unfortunately for them, it isn’t working.
One year ago, Mattel chairman and interim chief executive Christopher Sinclair announced “disappointing” financial results. What followed next was a cut in the workforce. Eighteen American Girl Wisconsin employees lost their jobs in March 2015, accounting for about 2 percent of the company’s statewide workforce of 806. Revenues for the American Girl division were still well over $620.7 million for 2014. And of course, it’s likely that the work done by the laid-off employees was passed on to those who were still employed.
This isn’t about picking on Mattel or American Girl: This is a symptom of a larger problem. People are more than a number on a spreadsheet, and they are more than a cost to be controlled. The amount of work that needs to be done does not go away when companies “cut costs.”
Donald Trump continued what appears to be an inevitable march to his nomination as the 2016 Republican presidential candidate. He won three of the four primaries/caucuses that were held last Tuesday. Trump then proceeded to give a victory speech and press conference that was both an infomercial for his steaks, wine, and water, as well as an opportunity for him to further mock and berate the journalists in attendance. The result is that the political chattering classes are still flummoxed by Trump’s popularity, and “Trumpmania” remains a riddle.
At the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidates School, warriors are taught to “turn the map upside down.” This simple action allows a person to see the map from the enemy’s point of view. What areas will they attack? What do our defenses look like from their advantage point? Where are our vulnerabilities? Is the enemy susceptible to attack in ways that we had not initially discerned?
This lesson in the power of perspective is very useful for understanding politics more generally—and the appeal of Donald Trump, specifically.
My writing and other work on the ascendance of Donald Trump and the 2016 GOP presidential primaries has been direct and unapologetic. I have referred to him as the American Il Duce. He is a protofascist. Donald Trump is a white supremacist, a nativist, a misogynist, and a bigot. Trump is also a con man who models his right-wing producerist schtick after the “heels” in professional wrestling. And while Trump’s supporters are not the cause of the toxic and broken politics that have given rise to “Trumpmania,” they are responsible for how their actions embody some of the worst aspects of America’s political culture.
Those labels and observations are accurate. However, they tell us little about the life worlds, inner motivations, psychology, “substantive” (at least from their point of view) grievances, and deeply felt anxieties of Trump’s supporters.
This is Donald Trump’s America. What happened in Fayettesville, NC, Wednesday evening exemplifies the danger to our democracy that is Trumpism. Rakeem Jones, who is African-American, attended a Trump rally with what he described as a “diverse” bunch of friends—a gay man, a Muslim, and a white woman. According to Ronnie G. Rouse, one of the members of Jones’ group, a Trump supporter targeted them and yelled, “You need to get the f— out of there!” Within seconds, eight officers emerged and began escorting the group out.
On the way out, Jones raised his middle fingers to the crowd. Not exactly his finest hour, to be sure, but a non-violent act of protest nonetheless. Then he got sucker-punched. By a white man with a ponytail wearing a cowboy hat. Oh, and do you want to guess which of the men got tackled and, according to the Washington Post, handcuffed?
To repeat: The cops on the scene appear to have done absolutely nothing to the only person who actually committed a crime. (John McGraw was arrested and charged with assault as well as battery and disorderly conduct on Thursday, after video of his attack went viral). The only one they laid their hands on was Mr. Jones. As important as that is, the real focus here is Donald Trump. As Shaun King put it:
This is Trump's fault….in Donald Trump's America, white violence against black bodies is being openly encouraged again.
Trump’s response to the sucker-punch incident came from campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks: "That has nothing to do with us.” Right. Nothing at all.
On “Meet The Press” Sunday morning Cruz again criticized both Obama and Trump for being divisive. When Chuck Todd asked Cruz whether what Trump has been doing is worse, his reply was: “To be honest, I think it’s very much the same.”
A hose-team leader instructs the team to relieve the nozzleman during a general quarters (GQ) drill aboard USS Abraham Lincoln.
A hose-team leader instructs the team to relieve the nozzleman during a general quarters (GQ) drill aboard USS Abraham Lincoln.
Tuesday was not my best day. I fumbled through a job interview in the afternoon, and my 14-year-old car’s transmission died.
One bright spot was seeing the following post online from Daily Kos’ own Paul Hogarth (with his permission):
I am not the same person I was 20 years ago—and after years of working on campaigns and building for progressive change have learned that politics is much, much harder than what the thrill of tonight's victory may seem. I also have my doubts about a campaign like Bernie Sanders really making change in this country.
But tonight is a cautionary tale for people like me to not let your "wise skepticism" give way to cynical despair. Always keep the fire burning for young, idealistic causes—because progressive change requires people who demand the unreasonable.
We just need to remember that the impossible may take a while, and that—win or lose—a positive, idealistic campaign that brings new people into politics must figure out how to outlast an election.
Here's a reality-check for Bernie supporters: Yes, he beat the odds tonight with Michigan. But Hillary's landslide victory in Mississippi means that, on balance, the gap in delegates has likely widened.
So be happy tonight, celebrate. You deserve it. But figure out a way to make sure this victory lasts beyond the Michigan primary, and that even if Bernie fails to win the nomination you can channel that movement into a political infrastructure that will improve America.
Paul’s post is brilliant.
It bridges the gap between a couple of groups who may be currently aligned against each other. It doesn’t pit idealism vs. pragmatism. Instead, it says, “We need both.”
It brings people together rather than dividing them, and it immediately picked me up. I shared it with my small group of Bernie supporters to say, “Congratulations!” after the Michigan win—and also to remind us that even Bernie is saying this is bigger than him.
I think real change is going to take one million leaders. One million people like Paul who understand the game being played against us, and know how to bring people together from many tribes.
Here are a few thoughts on why this is so crucial, and what this might look like.
Congresswoman Bella Abzug of New York, July 24, 1920 – March 31, 1998
Congresswoman Bella Abzug of New York, July 24, 1920 – March 31, 1998
“I've been described as a tough and noisy woman, a prizefighter, a man-hater, you name it. They call me Battling Bella,” Abzug wrote in a journal of her first year in Congress in 1971. "But whatever I am ... I am a very serious woman." —excerpt from Women Politicians and the Mediaby Maria Braden
I grew up in a world where women were breaking down the doors into politics.
A world where women like Shirley Chisholm and Barbara Jordan were elected to Congress. Growing up as a New Yorker, one of the fiercest role models of them all was Bella Abzug. She was a feminist, a staunch anti-racist and as a result of the cold-war, she became a leading voice in what would become a mass movement. In 1961 she co-founded Women Strike for Peace “after over 50,000 women across the country marched for peace and against above ground testing of nuclear weapons.”
A leading reform Democrat, a successful attorney, a popular grass-roots activist, Abzug was urged to run for Congress, which she agreed to do at the age of fifty in 1970. Stunning and galvanizing, with her hats and her homilies, she became a household symbol for dramatic change. Representing Greenwich Village, Little Italy, the Lower East Side, the West Side, and Chelsea, she was the first woman elected to Congress on a women’s rights/peace platform. New York agreed, “This woman’s place is in the House—the House of Representatives.”
She was also the first Jewish woman elected to the house. She would go on to make a lasting mark in Congress and in the hearts and minds of her admirers, many of them young women who would follow her example.
Ben Carson passing the sleeping curse on to Donald Trump
Ben Carson passing the sleeping curse on to Donald Trump
It may be campaign season, but I’m not going to lie to you: what follows is a good 65.6% Donald Trump. I think the rest is triglycerides and corn syrup. You’ll need to check.
You may be tired of it. I know I’m tired of it. But the professional pundit class was still waiting for the ascension of Jeb! long after it was clear his chances Sucked! They’re only now paddling their way out to body surf the wave of anti-Trump panic that’s set in at GOP central.
Secretly, I think the pundits and the party masters are behind Trump. Their timing in giving his campaign the “we must stop this man, because he’s just too popular to lose!” goose right at the point where Trump’s act was wearing thin and his results were under-performing was… suspiciously tidy. On the other hand, they did call on President Business Mitt Romney to deliver their anti-Trump tirade. Maybe they really are that dumb.
We should probably start thinking about what we’re going to do after Trump.
Of course, if the nation decides it really does want a vulgar, narcissistic bigot with the impulse control of a sleep-deprived toddler as its 45th president, the options left to thinking Americans will be few, but stark:
Either curl up in a fetal ball for four years or jam the pedal to the metal on the northbound interstate and don’t stop until you see moose. Try to get there before the Canadians build their border wall.
Canadians already have their own kind of wall. It’s called paperwork. You wanna come in? There’s a form for that, buddy.
… Assuming his rebuke in November, the natural tendency will be to mop the brow and sigh in relief at the bullet we just dodged.
This would be a mistake. Defeating Trump would not erase the forces that made him possible. As the last few years have shown, those forces, like some virulent cancer, tend to redouble after a setback and return stronger than before.
You thought George W. Bush was a piece of work? Meet Sarah Palin. You think Sarah Palin was scary? Meet Trump.
I can honestly say that I can’t think of who would be worse that Trump. Or Cruz. They’re both the worst person in the world. But there are people out there with shovels, and you can bet they’re digging the hole a little deeper right this moment.
Pitts’ article has a five-point-plan for avoiding the next Trump. Go read it. Go print it out and keep it handy.
Pitt’s Plan should be a daily touchstone for every Democrat… and for everyone who is in favor of holding back the blood-dimmed (and I do mean dimmed) tide.
NASA GISS global land-ocean temperature averages from 1880 thru 2015
NASA GISS global land-ocean temperature averages from 1880 thru 2015
Earlier this week, Sen. Marco Rubio appeared in a town hall with MSNBC’s Chuck Todd. I found Rubio to be insightful, even deep on occasion. He was an adept verbal sprinter at every question, some from Todd and many from the audience, and that included some tough, unscripted ones. Which means the man is plenty smart enough to read basic NASA temperature tables or understand a chart of them. But at this week’s GOP debate, here’s what we actually got:
"Sure the climate is changing, and one of the reasons is because the climate has always been changing," he said. "There has never been a time when the climate was not changing." South Florida's problem, he said, is that it was built on a swamp, and because "there are higher sea levels, or whatever is happening."
"I have long supported mitigation efforts, but as far as a law that we can pass in Washington to change the weather, there's no such thing," he said. “On the contrary, there are laws they want to us pass that would be devastating for our economy," he insisted, citing the Obama administration's regulations on power plant emissions.
That first sentence has grown tiresome and needs to be corrected going forward by every journalist who hears it in an answer. Because the unstated (and oft stated) finish goes something like, “so, we can’t do anything about it and should stop caring.” Which is like saying sure, breathing heavy smoke on a regular basis has always caused cancer and heart disease, there has never been a time when that was safe. So why worry about cigarettes? For that matter, epidemics have come and gone for eons, why worry about Ebola?
