NY Times in 2008 on why McCain was ‘unfit for office’: “Senator John McCain has retreated farther and farther to the fringe of American politics, running a campaign on partisan division, class warfare and even hints of racism” https://t.co/PEaEzMhdX4— MARK SIMONE (@MarkSimoneNY) September 3, 2018
Monday, September 3, 2018
NOW They Want You To Think They Loved Him!
How Labor's 'Champions' Squandered Their Mojo
Employment was always the defining “bread and butter” issue for Democrats. And keeping people working and creating new jobs – good jobs – was the essential mission of the Democratic Party. Indeed, “jobs” was the party’s mantra and Democrats rarely spoke on any issue without mentioning jobs.
With Labor Day here once again, I think of all that and I wonder:
What happened?
What went wrong?
And how did Donald Trump become the champion of gritty workers and on-the-line laborers? How did the Democrat Party of FDR, JFK and LBJ lose working people? And how did the GOP increasingly become the party of working people?
Well, for one thing, Barack Obama's record on the economy and jobs was dismal. Job growth was atrocious; more people dropped out of the labor force than ever before; the number of people on food stamps skyrocketed and GDP growth (such as it was) was embarrassing.
Also, more than 50 years after Dr. King's famous I Have A Dream speech the black unemployment rate never really improved under Obama. The unemployment rate for African Americans soared to twice the national average and more than double the unemployment rate for whites.
But nobody on the left seemed to want to talk about these failures – not the liberal establishment, not the Democratic leadership and certainly not the labor movement.
Obama always argued that the economy was in a ditch, claiming “we’ve gotten it out of the ditch and want to put it in drive.” But the car never really seemed to be moving -- not the way it should be; not the way Reagan got it moving ion the 1980s; not even the way Clinton got it moving in the 1990s.
Democrats and Big Labor wanted to talk about wedge issues such as the so-called "war on women" as they immersed themselves in the popular culture and the rotting realm of identity politics. To many, these issues were not only largely artificial but they were also relentlessly divisive.
And then there was the biggest debacle of all : Obamacare. Originally, Big Labor got a pass on that. But there was an inherent phoniness about it all and Obamacare caught up with us. Now, it's imploding.
Even Hillary Clinton got mired in identity politics, fake news and phony issues. She stumbled badly and deservedly suffered a stinging defeat.
Today, look at President Trump's record on jobs and the economy: record low unemployment; record high manufacturing figures; record low food stamp usage; the best jobless figures ever for young people, hispanics, blacks and near-record unemployment for women; consumer confidence at an all-time high; astounding GDP figures of 4.2%. The economy is booming, more people are working than ever before and inflation has been kept low. You can't ask for a better record than this but Democrats won't even acknowledge it.
There was a time when Democrats and labor leaders were close to the people. There was a time when they actually worked alongside the people that they represented. Those days seem long gone.
And all of this has been happening as union membership has steadily dwindled.
When the Savannah was built in Camden, labor unions represented a third of all workers. By 1983 the number had fallen to 20 percent. And by 2008 it was down to 12 percent and it has pretty much continued to drop since. What’s more, the average age of union members seems to be getting older. The largest unionized age group is workers aged 55 to 64.
Why can’t the Democrats see this? Where did the party of FDR and JFK and LBJ go astray?
What happened to one of the central promises of traditional liberalism – jobs?
These are questions worth pondering this Labor Day.
With Labor Day here once again, I think of all that and I wonder:
What happened?
What went wrong?
And how did Donald Trump become the champion of gritty workers and on-the-line laborers? How did the Democrat Party of FDR, JFK and LBJ lose working people? And how did the GOP increasingly become the party of working people?
Well, for one thing, Barack Obama's record on the economy and jobs was dismal. Job growth was atrocious; more people dropped out of the labor force than ever before; the number of people on food stamps skyrocketed and GDP growth (such as it was) was embarrassing.
Also, more than 50 years after Dr. King's famous I Have A Dream speech the black unemployment rate never really improved under Obama. The unemployment rate for African Americans soared to twice the national average and more than double the unemployment rate for whites.
But nobody on the left seemed to want to talk about these failures – not the liberal establishment, not the Democratic leadership and certainly not the labor movement.
Obama always argued that the economy was in a ditch, claiming “we’ve gotten it out of the ditch and want to put it in drive.” But the car never really seemed to be moving -- not the way it should be; not the way Reagan got it moving ion the 1980s; not even the way Clinton got it moving in the 1990s.
Democrats and Big Labor wanted to talk about wedge issues such as the so-called "war on women" as they immersed themselves in the popular culture and the rotting realm of identity politics. To many, these issues were not only largely artificial but they were also relentlessly divisive.
And then there was the biggest debacle of all : Obamacare. Originally, Big Labor got a pass on that. But there was an inherent phoniness about it all and Obamacare caught up with us. Now, it's imploding.
Even Hillary Clinton got mired in identity politics, fake news and phony issues. She stumbled badly and deservedly suffered a stinging defeat.
Today, look at President Trump's record on jobs and the economy: record low unemployment; record high manufacturing figures; record low food stamp usage; the best jobless figures ever for young people, hispanics, blacks and near-record unemployment for women; consumer confidence at an all-time high; astounding GDP figures of 4.2%. The economy is booming, more people are working than ever before and inflation has been kept low. You can't ask for a better record than this but Democrats won't even acknowledge it.
There was a time when Democrats and labor leaders were close to the people. There was a time when they actually worked alongside the people that they represented. Those days seem long gone.
And all of this has been happening as union membership has steadily dwindled.
When the Savannah was built in Camden, labor unions represented a third of all workers. By 1983 the number had fallen to 20 percent. And by 2008 it was down to 12 percent and it has pretty much continued to drop since. What’s more, the average age of union members seems to be getting older. The largest unionized age group is workers aged 55 to 64.
So many working people have decided to #WalkAway not just from unions but from the Democrats as well. Can you blame them?
Why can’t the Democrats see this? Where did the party of FDR and JFK and LBJ go astray?
What happened to one of the central promises of traditional liberalism – jobs?
These are questions worth pondering this Labor Day.
Sunday, September 2, 2018
Well, It Helps To Know How It All Started . . .
The McCain-Trump feud has a complicated and peppered history.
It helps to know how it started and where it went from there.
This 'Shooter' Wouldn't Harm A Flea . . .
He's a shooter.A real sharpshooter.
Nah, not that kinda shooter!
But he does have an incredibly keen eye and an uncanny ability to get his camera to do incredible things. And he's been excelling at what he does for decades, winning countless awards and accolades along the way.
He's dapper. He's distinctive. He's different. And he's one of the most authentic characters you'll ever meet.
He's legendary photographer Joe DelPalazzo -- a guy who's captured the essence of the famous, the infamous and everyone in between. From Ronald Reagan, Frank Sinatra and Queen Elizabeth to the neglected and the outcast, Joe has photographed them all with an eye that remains unequalled in the business.
CLICK HERE to take a trip with Joe through his pictures as Dan Cirucci unspools his story on The Advocates. This is a journey you won't forget!
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Saturday, September 1, 2018
From Wellstone To McCain: Lessons NOT Learned!
I vowed to make no further comment on John McCain until he was laid to rest.
I said I supported the man -- I respected him, I campaign for him, I contributed to his campaign, I voted for him and I was very disappointed when his opponent won. Very disappointed.
But I wanted to leave it at that during this period of mourning because I didn't want to conflate McCain's life and his memory with the politics of now.
I stand by that decision and I wish everyone had done the same -- no politicizing of McCain's death during the period of mourning. Makes sense, right? In fact, to me it just seemed like common sense, proper decorum, the way things ought to be.
But, during the past week the fragile fabric of decorum began to fray. And today, the fabric was not just torn but it was finally and definitively shredded!
That's because John McCain's services at the National Cathedral in Washington became a sort of (only slightly reverential) political rally.
So, here's what I have to say now:
I've been in politics all my life. Yeah, it's a rough game. It's not for the faint of heart.
But to turn a memorial religious service into a political platform -- well, it's just despicable!
Here's the bottom line: There was a free, fair and open election in this country and the people spoke loud and clear. They were disgusted with BOTH parties and all the greedy insiders in Washington. This was a political earthquake and the DC political class, the deep state, academia, the media and the pop culture just couldn't accept it. Crybabies -- but nonetheless dangerous. So much bile!
When you don't respect, will not accept, or actually work to circumvent the will of the people, then -- you are an enemy of the people.And then, I have also been thinking about it further and this came to mind:
They knew what they were gonna say and they knew how and when they were gonna say it. They had it all planned. In fact, they even included built-in applause lines.
And they invited Jared and Ivanka to the services specifically so that they would have to sit there and listen to it. Such premeditated vituperation. Such guile. So petty and spiteful!Now, if you think my observations are harsh, consider some of the following that have popped up on Facebook. Again, I stress that these observations are from various Facebook friends, not from me. But I want to give you an idea of what some people are saying:
One friend writes: Is he buried yet? My Gawd! Enough! He didn’t extend an invite to his running mate Sarah Palin! He had his hand on the fake dossier, and invited Obama to speak? McCain a so called military man, who loved this country, and our military invites a man who lied to the American people about Benghazi!? A man who stood before the American people and lied, blamed it on a video, sent his followers around the news circuit spreading some stupid lie about a video. A man who stood with his SOS Clinton and lied to grieving families!
And from another friend: Her (Meghan McCain's) father fired the first shot at Trump and he met his match. His decision not to invite some people to his funeral shows McCain was even petty to the last second of his life. He died unfulfilled which is very obvious in his last decisions. May he find peace with his maker.
And yet another: John McCain campaigned on repealing Obamacare and then voted to keep it. John McCain admitted to being involved with the fake dossier that originated from Russia and was paid for by Democrats (collusion). So lets all stop with the holier than thou crap and cheap shots at President Trump who actually won the presidency unlike McCain who tried and lost, costing this country 4 years of Obama ruining it. And yes Obama's policies ruined this country bringing it down so we did need someone to make it great again!
And here are two more: I know I am tired of this endless funeral for McCain which includes Trump bashing. . . . . You’d think he was the President. I’ve seen many presidents die with less pomp and circumstance.
And then there was this poignant post on Facebook: My only brother, a veteran of the United States Army died in 1992, months after returning from overseas.
I was just a kid myself, but I proudly gave the eulogy over his flag draped casket because my parents were too devasated to speak. To this day, it was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.
I could have chosen to address my anger at his sudden and tragic death, but I chose not to. I could have chosen to take that opportunity to lash out at others who maligned his military service, but I chose not to. I could have chosen to be angry, in that moment, lashing out at the person responsible for his death, but I chose not to. Eulogies should be about remembrance, respect, heartfelt reflection, and honoring those we lost. Anger and resentment should be left at the front door. Just my two cents.
It's a shame that all of this had to turn out this way and engender such vituperation.
But let's remember that it was the Democrats who first turned a planned memorial service into a political circus way back in 2002 when they "memorialized" Senator Paul Wellstone (photo below) who died tragically in a plane crash. And we all know how that turned out -- the Democrats not only lost Wellstone's seat but they suffered many other defeats that fall. 'Nuff said!
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