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During last night's debate, President Trump was asked to denounce white supremacy, and he didn't: This response made those who support white supremacy very happy .  Keep in mind that members of the Proud Boys do not have a problem with protesters being tear-gassed: Trump can use civil unrest to his advantage. Chaos always benefits the person in power more than the challenger.  Best-case scenario is that there will be reports of scuffles at a few voting locations. Worst-case scenario is the beginnings of a civil war. 

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  This is what happens when the Democratic Establishment goes, "Don't attack Joe Biden on X or Y; it'll make him vulnerable for the general election!" All Trump does is go for vulnerabilities, whether real (Biden's role in the Crime Bill) or fictional (Biden being a "puppet" of the "radical left").  But the leaders of the Democratic Party are short-sighted, and Bernie Sanders was too nice. As a result, we got last night's debate.

 The people compelled to drag Joe Biden over the presidential finish line have decided that running on policy is too cumbersome and problematic to their donors. So instead, they have decided to attack all criticism of the former Vice President. Criticize him for not giving the Left any issues to vote for? Point out how he's been condescending towards progressives? Point out his history of collaborating with Republicans more than his base? Then you are part of a Russian plot: Bring up accusations of sexual misconduct (and that's putting it nicely)? The nepotism (again, putting it nicely)? The misstatements and emotional outbursts ("Look here, Fat;" "Vote for the other guy;" "You ain't black!"). Sorry, Donald Trump has done worse, so those complaints are off-limits: So based on this criteria, Joe Biden is flawless! He's both a victim of Russian interference and an improvement over the current crass occupant of the White House. It's not hi...

 For anyone who's an environment activist, The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal's piece on the money and power-players behind the attacks on the free documentary "Planet of the Humans" is a must-read.  Before I say anymore, let me say that I saw the film , and my three takeaways are: Some of the methods greens support (like solar or wind) either cost too much to produce anything adequate or require something less environmentally friendly (like massive drilling) in order to be sustainable.  Big Business and wealthy people who have embraced going green seem particularly focused on the "recycle" component of "reduce, reuse, recycle." This makes sense from a capitalist point-of-view: reduction of goods/services or reusing something that was already purchased would lead to a decrease in profits; no self-respecting business would promote a program where you buy less  from them.  Some prominent activists in the green movement are have either been co-opted, ...

 Here are some of the factors that played into Trump's 2016 victory: Trump invoked economic populism : He spoke on trade and job creation in states that Hillary Clinton ignored. Sure half of his speeches on the matter were lies and the other half were hype, but speaking to the concerns of blue-collar workers was enough to get votes. Voters still wanted change : There were quite of number of 2012 Obama voters who voted for Trump. It's hard to believe that these people because racist or misogynistic over an election cycle. It's more likely that after witnessing Obama bailing out banks, escalating drone strikes and ignoring the needs to working class protesters voters realized that the only change Obama represented was his appearance.  Trump was willing to attack members and ideas of his own party : Calling out the Iraq War to Jeb Bush's face, bullying Marc Rubio and making Ted Cruz look like a untrustworthy moron gave Trump the "maverick" label he needed to conv...

  Police around America are abusing their authority and power, and that abuse has disproportionately impacted Black Americans.  That's it; that's the argument. Of course, it's too simple an argument for American politics and media. It's easier for American media to focus on any violence that comes out of people protesting police brutality. It's easier for American politicians to pick sides and argue how their tribe, er, party can best resolve the problem.  And very few people want to talk about how economics come into play. For example: prisoners make for excellent cheap labor.  There's little talk about how police are being armed and trained in those arms as if they are soldiers, without the conditioning that soldiers typically get.  You won't hear much about how police typically face no consequences for taking evidence, destroying property (like breaking down the door to the wrong house) and yes, shooting/choking/killing people. One of the first things I l...

 Notes/Comments/Opinions on American Politics as We Enter the Endgame: Everyone who is praising Kamala Harris is talking about who she is (a WOC, a former prosecutor, a Senator) and saying very little about what she has done . I may be in the minority here, but shouldn't the 2nd most powerful person in the country be evaluated on their accomplishments and their policies?  Joe Biden needs to do two things to convince enough people to vote him into office: (1) make it through at least one debate looking like a competent politician , and (2) control his temper . I'm not confident that he can do either. The GOP claiming that Biden and Harris -who crossed political swords with Bernie Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard, respectively- are being controlled by the "Radical Left" is laughable to anyone who watched the Democratic Primary. Neither Biden nor Harris support Medicare For All. Neither Biden nor Harris have plans to change the nature of criminal justice system ( especially...

Watching the guys on MSNBC freak out and go through the five stages of grief during Sander's Nevada win had me thinking about an old Media Matters story I saw (back when I read them regularly). See, back in the 2004 election a guy named Matt Drudge was very influential in getting George W. Bush re-elected. A lot of this has to do with Drudge's claim to fame: being one of the first people to use the internet for posting info regarding the Starr Report. Basically he found stories that would align with his political beliefs and posted links using headers and pictures that reinforced those beliefs. Most of them were slanted stories anyway, but Drudge never met a smear he didn't like. Drudge became the internet version of Rush Limbaugh for many Republicans and conservatives, even though he never provided any real analysis or confirmed sources or made retractions when he got stuff wrong. In short, he was perfect for the era of "Weapons of Mass Destruction." Fast-...