Our Culture Needs Protection From Donald Trump, Too

Lets pick up blogging where I last stopped prior to this office’s renovation.  That would be with my bullish optimism with where the mid-term election polling shows our nation to be trending.  I have been paying attention to the actions of the Republicans and it says a great deal. The lack of confidence is showing up in where GOP groups aren’t spending money and how the Republican blame game is unfolding between Donald Trump and GOP operatives.

The Cook Political report has changed ratings in ten districts, including eight where Democrats’ position has improved. Democrats now have a clear advantage in 17 GOP-held seats and Republicans have an advantage in two Democratic-held seats. If the 30 Toss Ups were to break evenly between the parties (15 seats apiece), Democrats would score a net gain of 29 seats, six more than the 23 they need to retake the majority.

But it is the bottom line analysis from Charlie and his team which makes for the smile.

“We continue to believe anywhere from a 20 to 40 seat Democratic gain is possible, but right now the likeliest outcome is a Democratic gain of between 25 and 35 seats.”

It is not in doubt that we need change in this nation in a very deep and meaningful way.  All the reasons for the need to head in the opposite direction from the current Republican Party is not based solely on policy.  There are also the cultural and societal damages caused by Donald Trump which must be addressed.

Weeks back Trump attempted to campaign on his record of accomplishments, a traditional way of connecting with voters and ramp up the crowds prior to Election Day.  But that was not working, and so Trump is out on the hustings with his well-worn tactic of fear-mongering and lies, many of them about darker-skinned foreigners.  It is dreadful, and how the long-time members of the GOP think this is a good way to move a nation underscores how off the road this nation has become.  Fear, lies, and racially-tinged rhetoric only adds to the continued narrative of this Republican Party.

A man was arrested on “an abusive sexual contact charge” after a Southwest Flight landed in Albuquerque, KHOU reports.

“According to an affidavit, when he was placed in handcuffs, he asked what the sentence was for the charge he was being arrested for and later told officers President Trump says it’s OK to grab women by their private parts.”

There are many reasons to vote Democratic in November but that last story shows why they are not all about issues,  Our culture needs protection from the GOP, too.

Caffeinated Politics Is Back On The Air

It took longer than first planned.  But such is life.  With expert craftsmanship from the hands of Elliot Stith of Madison our home office, and blogging center for Caffeinated Politics, is back up and running.  A few photos of the process as it played out.

Office Of Caffeinated Politics Being Renovated

For the next 72 hours (or so) a rather major renovation project will be underway at our home.  This room which houses two desks, computers, and countless other such items will be all moved out.  The desks will be taken apart and given to those who wanted them.   Walls and floors will be washed.

Then a local cabinet maker who has been working on our project for a couple months will come in and remake this space.  There will be more floor to ceiling book shelves and two new desks all made from oak.  The desks will blend as they each will be triangular shaped and anchored together.   It all will be stained in dark walnut and covered with osmo coating (oil finish).

The move out of the office is always the hardest as things are cluttered about–which can drive me a bit nuts.  I am–like James–OCD in that we both likes things neat and orderly.   A woman and her son stopped over recently and the kid remarked how everything was so picked up and in place.   The remotes were even lined up in a row and he said. “Wow.”

So minus the clutter of the work in progress we are looking forward to the new office space.  James has hundreds of foreign language books already in alphabetical order by author ready to be placed onto shelves.   (And readers already know about my Richard Nixon collection.)

To make an added fresh start a new and large computer screen (25 inches) is coming from my favorite store–Amazon–to make for the frosting on the cake.  James continues to use two screens on his desk for his translating projects.

All said blogging will resume late Monday night.  I tell James after washing the car that we will get better gas mileage.  With that same logic all the renovations will surely impact my blogging, too.

Right?

Be back next week.

Good News: Mayor Paul Soglin To Seek Another Term

I was stunned this morning with the latest news.  Often the news is awful, leaving me with the question of how deep in the basement, as a nation, we are headed. But today the news that took me totally by surprise was something which is good for the city of Madison and its residents.

In a startling reversal, Mayor Paul Soglin will now seek another four-year term, dramatically shaking up the city elections early next year.

Soglin, mayor for 14 years in the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s and now completing a second straight four-year term, in July announced he would not seek re-election amid an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination for governor where he eventually placed a distant seventh place in the August primary.

But on Friday, Soglin announced he is entering the mayoral race, saying he’s been encouraged by many to run, is enthused for a campaign, wants to continue to promote racial equity, economic development and entrepreneurship, and has unfinished business such as the Madison Public Market.

“I made a miscalculation in July,” he said in an interview. “I thought I would not be up for another campaign after the governor’s race. I am.

I have not always been a fan of Soglin, and truly thought him to be too snarky and condescending to former Mayor Dave Cieslewicz.  But over the years it has been the conduct of the city council, their lack of leadership, and their tendency at times to drift into crazy land which has alerted me (and this city as a whole) as to the reason there must be a stable hand and keen mind on the throttle.

Soglin allows for seasoned and sound leadership.  Some of the names that were tossed about as candidates for the April election were not the caliber that this city requires.  A couple of them, should they continue to seek the office, will add a perspective along with the needed dialogue so to engage us as we move forward.  But at the end of this process Soglin will have the gravitas and institutional memory that we can use and count on—resources that are lacking with too many others who seek leadership in this city.

I am very pleased with being stunned today.

Neighborhood Association Board Member Encourages “Bar Crawl”

Two weeks ago James and I spent an evening at Olbrich Botanical Gardens.  The event was GLEAM, an annual exhibit featuring local, national, and international artists creating light-based installations.  Throughout Olbrich’s 16-acre outdoor gardens we were able to amble about in dimly lit pathways, encountering strange and surprising forms that pulsed and shimmered in the night around every corner.

It was really a most extraordinary event.  A great time.  At least for us.

The event the night we attended had a place for a small band and, of course, the ever-present staple for any Wisconsin event, alcohol sales.  We were eager to see the pathways and show in the spacious gardens.  Many, it seemed, were not aware there was even a grand set of exhibits beyond their ice cubes and cocktails.  As the evening continued some of the tanked-up ones were walking the dimly lit paths and proved to be examples of performance art.  It was embarrassing.

Last weekend we drove to the new Farm and Fleet store in Sun Prairie and was really taken aback to see that it has a full stockpile of booze of every kind for sale.  The store–though new–left me cold.  I prefer the one on Stoughton Road in Madison where they are still more interested in selling the old-fashioned candies than a bottle of gin.

Today in my email was a long discourse from a member of the local Marquette Neighborhood Association extolling the virtues of a “bar crawl” through a section of Madison.  He mentioned the places they stopped and on and on.  If one were perhaps 19 the object of such a night would be the hunt for a quickie.  But in his case the object was simply to drink.  That WAS the activity.

He ended his email with these words. “I encourage others who find it appealing to make a Saturday night of this…”

Really?  Is that what a responsible member of a local neighborhood association should be espousing?  How about taking a look at the number of drinking problems in the area before proposing to drain a few more pints!

I am age 56, and my partner is 45–and not one single time in either of our lives has a “bar crawl” ever been considered as a way to spend time.  And we both know what a good time looks like, too.  It is not at the bottom of a beer glass.

We can also say never once has ‘the activity’ for an evening been drinking.

Exactly how bored with life does one need to be, or how depressing must one’s situation need to become, for drinking to be the uplift and reliever for what is wrong?  How much money does the average person spend on alcohol in the average week?  Perhaps spending that money on a psychologist would be the real tonic that is needed.

What passes for ‘the norm’ in society alerts me daily to everything that I have no desire to be a part of.  Give me a good book, cup of coffee, James at my side–some birds and the lake.

The (Other) President Is A Sick Man

An extraordinary yet almost unknown chapter in American history is revealed in this extensively researched exposé. On July 1, 1893, President Grover Cleveland boarded a friend’s yacht and was not heard from for five days. During that time, a team of doctors removed a cancerous tumor from the president’s palate along with much of his upper jaw. When an enterprising reporter named E. J. Edwards exposed the secret operation, Cleveland denied it and Edwards was consequently dismissed as a disgrace to journalism. Twenty-four years later, one of the president’s doctors finally revealed the incredible truth, but many Americans simply would not believe it. After all, Grover Cleveland’s political career was built upon honesty—his most memorable quote was “Tell the truth”—so it was nearly impossible to believe he was involved in such a brazen cover-up. This is the first full account of the disappearance of Grover Cleveland during that summer more than a century ago.

Long time readers know I love history.  Several years ago I read the book at the heart of this story. (Even bought a couple extra copies and gave as presents.) I watched this talk given by the author recently and think some of my CP readers will enjoy it, too.

Grab a cup of coffee and hit play.

Jamal Khashoggi’s Final Column

Jamal Khashoggi’s final column is a must read today.

This column was received by the Washington Post around the time of his disappearance more than two weeks ago, but held by the opinion editor in hopes she and he would be able to edit it together. It is about freedom of the press in the Arab world, and the Post printed it today.

Powerful.  Adds to the continued conversation about why modernity in the Arab world is a must.

Arab governments have been given free rein to continue silencing the media at an increasing rate. There was a time when journalists believed the Internet would liberate information from the censorship and control associated with print media. But these governments, whose very existence relies on the control of information, have aggressively blocked the Internet. They have also arrested local reporters and pressured advertisers to harm the revenue of specific publications.

As a result, Arabs living in these countries are either uninformed or misinformed. They are unable to adequately address, much less publicly discuss, matters that affect the region and their day-to-day lives. A state-run narrative dominates the public psyche, and while many do not believe it, a large majority of the population falls victim to this false narrative. Sadly, this situation is unlikely to change.

The Arab world was ripe with hope during the spring of 2011. Journalists, academics and the general population were brimming with expectations of a bright and free Arab society within their respective countries. They expected to be emancipated from the hegemony of their governments and the consistent interventions and censorship of information. These expectations were quickly shattered; these societies either fell back to the old status quo or faced even harsher conditions than before.

The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events. More important, we need to provide a platform for Arab voices. We suffer from poverty, mismanagement and poor education. Through the creation of an independent international forum, isolated from the influence of nationalist governments….

Wealthy Got Tax Cuts, Old And Poor Threatened With Deep Budget Cuts

This is the agenda for making America a better place?

So, thanks to Donald Trump’s massive tax cut for corporations and wealthy Americans, the federal government is collecting 22 percent less corporate tax revenue than last year, and tax revenue overall is flat. That’s why the deficit has soared to $779 billion, 17 percent higher than last year.  So naturally, the GOP is taking dead aim at Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.  

Trump’s new push to trim the proposed budgets of all federal agencies next year could prove more draconian than it sounds, amounting to a 25 percent cut for all nondefense programs compared to the current year.

Technically, the request is for 5 percent cuts across the Cabinet departments, as Trump laid out at a White House event Wednesday: “We’re going to ask every [Cabinet] secretary to cut 5 percent for next year,” Trump told reporters, presumably referring to fiscal 2020, beginning next October.

An across-the-board cut of 5 percent from all discretionary spending likely to be enacted in fiscal 2019 would amount to about $62 billion, not counting money for war-related operations and natural disasters. However politically unpalatable that may be, such cuts could actually understate the depths of reductions the administration may be envisioning.

That’s because if recent history is any guide, the reductions may not come from current spending, but from already depressed fiscal 2020 levels previously laid out in the February budget request. The Obama administration Office of Management and Budget asked agencies to cut their proposed budgets by 5 percent in that fashion on at least four occasions.

If that’s the case with the Trump OMB this time, it would mean fiscal 2020 nondefense discretionary budget authority in his request due next February would be roughly $445 billion — a whopping $152 billion, or 25 percent, cut from the fiscal 2019 cap signed into law by Trump in February. That would also be nearly $100 billion below the austere fiscal 2020 nondefense funding required under the 2011 deficit reduction law — already reviled by lawmakers from both parties — which snaps back into place upon expiration of the February deal after fiscal 2019.

November mid-term elections, matter very much!