Politics and Press

The interaction of the press and politics; public diplomacy, and daily absurdities.

The Threat of Seasonal Mental Illness

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So here we are entering the holiday season while President* Trump is not-so-slowly going insane in front of our eyes. He wants his Wall or his Steel Slats, or Beaded Curtain, or maybe Shower Curtain, and if he doesn’t get it he has decided to punish the entire country. He’s like the senile old nuns who used to punish the whole class when someone wrote “Sister Mary Grace has Bad Habits” on the blackboard.

But while the seriousness of the offenses are similar, there is a significant difference between putting your head down on the desk for an hour and watching savings disappear because some fruitcake wants a useless Wall that he already said would be built by the Mexicans. But, an anxious nation waits while a shell of a man who is not enjoying especially good mental health tries to make himself feel better by screwing the entire country he was elected (sic) to serve.

CANNOT MAKE THIS STUFF UP. SAD!

Bully Trump Meets Speaker Pelosi

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”It’s like a manhood thing for him,. As if manhood could be associated with him. This wall thing.” Nancy Pelosi

We have gotten used to Arrested Development Teen Trump calling people silly names, claiming sexual rights without permission, bullying Republican wimps, and bragging about things that never happened. But today is a new day with the soon to be Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, setting the table for a future of the House of Representatives pushing back – at long last. Two years of a Republican Congress putting up with the most degrading presidency in my history is moving to an and Trump is not going to get his wall- boo Hoo, Boo Hoo.

Trump’s “art of the deal” has always been one of bullying people, not paying people, lying to people, and just claiming bankruptcy every time things went south for him. Well, here we are and it is now time for him to go to Mexico and get there money for his ridiculous wall or shut up. Instead he is promising to shut down the U.S. government, an act of political craziness, economic risk and – alas – a certain level of black humor.

Today’s meeting of Trump, Schumer and Pelosi (VP Pence was there in body only) was political theater bound to garner some cheeers in the beer halls of Trump’s useful idiots, but things are closing in on him and he is losing what little he ever had. Watch the video linked from the front page of the Washington Post – it is priceless.

THE MYTH OF OBJECTIVE JOURNALISM

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Objective journalism is one of the main reasons that American politics has been allowed to be so corrupt for so long. — Hunter S. Thompson


Just what the fk is “objective” journalism? For Judy Woodward on the PBS Newshour it is to have two more or less equally brainless Congresscritters tell us what we know — which is that we have been complicit in electing brainless egotists to represent us in Congress. For CNN it means paying former Senator and unreconstructed soulless quasi-catholic Rick Santorum to give us the “other side” on issues on which they absolutely KNOW that he is batshit crazy. Of course that also ensures that the real dicks of the world get represented on the news cycle.

Recently MSNBC declined the opportunity to televise a Sarah Huckster Sanders press conference and I felt a brief breeze of sanity. Why continue to send overpaid journalists to listen to a blatant liar consecrated in the Church of Trump-Pence? Bad management at best, stupid adherence to a myth at worst. When a national network wheels out Congressman Nunez to defend sort-of-President Trump does anyone think for a moment that he in any way represents a true attempt at “objectivity”? If so, let’s imagine the dual interview of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Reichsfuhrer Heinrich Himmler on the practicality of euthanizing 6 million Jews in the 1940s. Oh yes. Let’s hear from both sides because they both have a point….

It is possible that the American press simply needs to grow some courage to present itself as a real arbiter of the truth. Sure, Fox News will continue to find it’s “truth” as will MSNBC. But the more we take charlatans and whores like Rich Santorum and most of the Congress off the air the sooner we might begin to dream of the fantasy of a press that is objective in the sense of really seeking the truth. And while a significant portion of America will buy into Fox News myths, the news outlets with both brains and integrity can possibly win in the long run. And, if not, then America is in the dire straits that I have thought. And that will be dire in disastrous way. Time is short.

Trump, Mueller, Tariffs: Is Push Coming to Shove?

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Lots of activity last week with Mueller going to court for cases on both Trump ‘s former lawyer Michael Cohen and his former campaign manager, Paul Manafort. Trump has sort of responded with a tweet that says he and his lawyers are preparing a response to the Mueller report – which of course he has not seen.

Simultaneously, Trump, having declared himself in a tweet to be The Tariff Man is holding strong to his tariff war strategy that has created havoc in the stock markets, caused American farmers to lose millions on lost sales, increased costs for many small businesses relying on foreign steel, and increased the cost of much that Americans buy. There is no observable upside to his strategy and the main question seems to be whether Trump can find it in the deep recesses of his narcissism to back off his self-created crisis and admit – at least by implication – that his tariff strategy has been and remains a disaster.

The next few weeks could be critical to his presidency and to the future of the U.S. . Given his record to date I am reluctant to be optimistic.

Reinventing the blog: Politicsandpress

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The election of Trump to the presidency put the blog into a temporary coma – actually almost a two year coma which finally broke today. The blog will recommence in future postings with a greater emphasis on the interface of politics with the press, and more somber postings on the place of America in the world as globalization becomes less real and more of a fantasy.

the votes are in

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After 160 days, the outcome of the October election in Germany has finally been reached. It will be yet another Grand Coalition between the Conservative parties in Bavaria and the rest of Germany and the Social Democrats in all of Germany. For those of us who were in the Bavarian capital when the election was held, this is an extraordinary conclusion to a very divisive election, in which the Social Democratic, a historically monumental party, received its lowest percentage of votes in history, as did the conservative parties, though they received the most votes by a significant margin. But they were nowhere near the possibility of becoming a majority government and a very difficult attempt at coalition ensued..
In the process the Liberal party opted out at of talks at a crucial moment, and many think the result will be that it will disappear, the Social Democrats announced with a great flourish that under no circumstance would they again be part of a government with Angela Merkel as prime minister ( truly an odd development since it is not so long ago that a Social Democratic leader that would invite into Germany a million refugees ( a few more than that came), and that the conservatives would then have a field day in the next election, and the the opposite happened. In the end the Social Democrats didn’t seem to know if they were for or against Merkel’s extraordinary policy on refugees. At that point it became clear that if nothing dramatic happened, the Germans would have to have another election, and memories of Weimar and the rise of the Nazis. And (almost) nobody wanted that.
So the Social Democrats heed and hawed and finally concluded that they would resume talks for the good of the country, an their leader eventually announced that he had reconsidered and the coalition could be formed but only if he became the Foreign Minister. This so enraged the young socialists that he was sent out to the boondocks, where he remains, and the party announced they could form a coalition if the party members (more than 400,000 folks) agreed to it in a referendum. There was a split opinion among constitutional experts about whether that was legal but the referendum went ahead and the results arrived yesterday: the coalition was approve by 66% of the members. And if you wanted to see a muted celebration at a party headquarters that their party would once again be part of the government, this was the one to tape for future reference. It was much more like a wake and not of the Irish kind. If you look soberly at the results you can see why. There were only losers to be found rolling around on about the battlefield, with one exception. Angela Merkel had to make some sacrifices which no doubt disturbed her deeply But one non-change item trumps the all. She will once again be Prime Minister for another several years, and we all look soberly at the rogues now in charge in so many countries, in many of which this is a complete surprise, the Macron-Merkel duo in charge at the centre of Europe is as welcome as a sunny day in a seemingly endless winter.

Social Democrats in all of Germany.

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For those of us who were in the Bavarian capital when the election was held, this is an extraordinary conclusion to a very divisive election, in which the Social Democratic, a historically monumental party, received its lowest percentage of votes in history, as did the conservative parties, though they received the most votes by a significant margin. But they were nowhere near the possibility of becoming a majority government and a very difficult attempt at coalition ensued.. In the process the Liberal party opted out at of talks at a crucial moment, and many think the result will be that it will disappear, the Social Democrats announced with a great flourish that under no circumstance would they again be part of a government with Angela Merkel as prime minister ( truly an odd development since it is not so long ago that a Social Democratic leader that would invite into Germany a million refugees ( a few more than that came), and that the conservatives would then have a field day in the next election, and the the opposite happened. In the end the Social Democrats didn’t seem to know if they were for or against Merkel’s extraordinary policy on refugees. At that point it became clear that if nothing dramatic happened, the Germans would have to have another election, and memories of Weimar and the rise of the Nazis. And (almost) nobody wanted that. So the Social Democrats heed and hawed and finally concluded that they would resume talks for the good of the country, an their leader eventually announced that he had reconsidered and the coalition could be formed but only if he became the Foreign Minister. This so enraged the young socialists that he was sent out to the boondocks, where he remains, and the party announced they could form a coalition if the party members (more than 400,000 folks) agreed to it in a referendum. There was a split opinion among constitutional experts about whether that was legal but the referendum went ahead and the results arrived yesterday: the coalition was approve by 66% of the members. And if you wanted to see a muted celebration at a party headquarters that their party would once again be part of the government, this was the one to tape for future reference. It was much more like a wake and not of the Irish kind. If you look soberly at the results you can see why. There were only losers to be found rolling around on about the battlefield, with one exception. Angela Merkel had to make some sacrifices which no doubt disturbed her deeply But one non-change item trumps the all. She will once again be Prime Minister for another several years, and we all look soberly at the rogues now in charge in so many countries, in many of which this is a complete surprise, the Macron-Merkel duo in charge at the centre of Europe is as welcome as a sunny day in a seemingly endless winter.

After 160 days, the outcome of the October election in Germany has finally been reached. It will be yet another Grand Coalition between the Conservative parties in Bavaria and the rest of Germany and the Social Democrats in all of Germany. For those of us who were in the Bavarian capital when the election was held, this is an extraordinary conclusion to a very divisive election, in which the Social Democratic, a historically monumental party, received its lowest percentage of votes in history, as did the conservative parties, though they received the most votes by a significant margin. But they were nowhere near the possibility of becoming a majority government and a very difficult attempt at coalition ensued..
In the process the Liberal party opted out at of talks at a crucial moment, and many think the result will be that it will disappear, the Social Democrats announced with a great flourish that under no circumstance would they again be part of a government with Angela Merkel as prime minister ( truly an odd development since it is not so long ago that a Social Democratic leader that would invite into Germany a million refugees ( a few more than that came), and that the conservatives would then have a field day in the next election, and the the opposite happened. In the end the Social Democrats didn’t seem to know if they were for or against Merkel’s extraordinary policy on refugees. At that point it became clear that if nothing dramatic happened, the Germans would have to have another election, and memories of Weimar and the rise of the Nazis. And (almost) nobody wanted that.
So the Social Democrats heed and hawed and finally concluded that they would resume talks for the good of the country, an their leader eventually announced that he had reconsidered and the coalition could be formed but only if he became the Foreign Minister. This so enraged the young socialists that he was sent out to the boondocks, where he remains, and the party announced they could form a coalition if the party members (more than 400,000 folks) agreed to it in a referendum. There was a split opinion among constitutional experts about whether that was legal but the referendum went ahead and the results arrived yesterday: the coalition was approve by 66% of the members. And if you wanted to see a muted celebration at a party headquarters that their party would once again be part of the government, this was the one to tape for future reference. It was much more like a wake and not of the Irish kind. If you look soberly at the results you can see why. There were only losers to be found rolling around on  the battlefield, with one exception. Angela Merkel had to make some sacrifices which no doubt disturbed her deeply But one non-change item trumps the all. She will once again be Prime Minister for another several years, and we all look soberly at the rogues now in charge in so many countries, in many of which this is a complete surprise, the Macron-Merkel duo in charge at the centre of Europe is as welcome as a sunny day in a seemingly endless winter.

The decline and fall of the final European Empire?

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Well, what is going to happen to the European Union in the next decade? Will it go the way of all the other attempted regimes that have come and gone since the good old days when the French, the Prussians, the Spaniards, the Habsburgs, the Nazis, the tsars, the southern Slavs and the British all spread their wings and tried to bring in their European neighbours under their protective? cover. Amazingly all of the above failed, often in deadly wars, except, arguably, Russia, with a new tsar, who shows no sign of giving up its far eastern colonial holdings, and instead  seems intent on recovering some of its old territory.
But how is the most recent attempt to bring about a united Europe doing, this time  with a capital in Brussels? If you think it is going swimmingly there lately, you haven’t been lolling around in Europe watching the whole concept of the European Union  totter while suspecting that it is slowly falling apart. The Brits have pulled one major foundation stone out, without apparently knowing what they were doing, and their absurd departure has opened possible flood gates throughout central and eastern Europe.  As in now stands, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary form a solid inward-looking border buffer zone from the Baltic Sea to the Balkans with little or no loyalty to the idea that Brussels should wield the machinery of power over them.  And east of them is the wilderness, with corrupt governments ruling in half a dozen EU member states.   And no one knows where Austria will actually land – east or west -when its new government is finally announced.  Let’s face it, the EU  is now completely dependent on the resources of Germany and France, with a dash of support from the Nordic countries.  May the power be with them.

Trump Threatens N. Korea with “Fire and Fury”

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“North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States, They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.” ,President Trump

Several years ago (December 2010) this blog had a piece on the challenge of dealing with North Korea; today’s comments by Trump are evidence that little has changed.

Understanding North Korea’s behavior should not be that tough in the context of America’s historical interventions in countries around the world, frequently predicated on a hypocritical desire for regime change in countries identified as “undemocratic”. When Iran democratically elected Mohammed Mossadegh Prime Minister of Iran in 1951 we engineered his overthrow in 1953, installed the Shah and returned oil production to British Petroleum. In Chile we engineered the overthrow of democratically elected President Allende on 9/11 1973; he subsequently committed suicide. During Reagan’s presidency the US sold weapons to Iran so money could be passed on to the Nicaraguan contras to facilitate the overthrow of the Sandinista government. George W. Bush’s administration identified an “Axis of Evil” consisting of N. Korea, Iraq and Iran. It invaded Iraq, killed its leader, left the country in ruins and helped create ISIS. The US led NATO against Libya’s Colonel Gaddafi with an invasion of Libya, killed Gadaffi and left the country in ruins as another base for ISIS. The list of countries the US has messed around in includes Syria, earlier ventures in support of Saddam in Iraq against the Kurds and Iran, and of course Vietnam and Cambodia, Indonesia, Grenada, Lebanon, etc. The leaders of North Korea are not stupid or irrational. They have seen what we do and know that if the US is interested in regime change, a beefed up military is a good idea. And what better beefed up military than one with nuclear arms? We are – as a country – complicit in creating our own international problems.

Trump talks the talk but has never walked the walk and we can only hope he doesn’t start now with North Korea. The lack of realistic military options, the dismal history of diplomacy and the failure of both the United States and North Korea to honor previous agreements are not reasons for hope.

Bilateral, direct negotiations between the U.S. And N. Korea have been elusive, largely because U.S neocons argue that direct negotiations would be viewed as “rewarding” N. Korea for its bad behavior. This is not a nuanced understanding of adult human behavior. While there have been the occasional suggestions of possible direct negotiations (most recently by Secretary of State Tillerson) they have always been contingent on North Korea giving something up before the US can sit with them, like a poker player demanding that everyone show him their cards before he decides to bet. This has not and will not work.

The current gambit is to suggest that China solve the problem by joining in strong international sanctions and refusing economic activity with N. Korea. Successful sanctions would likely lead to a flood of Korean refugees into China which is not acceptable to China; in addition, the slim possibility of a unified Korea would produce a different kind of threat to China. Basically, China has its own interests and they are different from ours and Trump can’t tweet himself out of that reality.

For decades Americans have been presented a picture of the N. Korean leadership as semi-deranged but they behave in their own interest not ours and are not all that different from American leadership. President Trump’s childish playground rants are not all that different from Kim Jong-un’s and just about as helpful. The N. Koreans are committed to maintaining their regime; if we act militarily to dislodge them thousands of South Koreans will die along with some number of American military stationed in S. Korea.

Whatever window of opportunity existed for a diplomatic agreement to limit N. Korean nuclear development seems likely closed. So in a nuclear world we have Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump screaming threats at each other. This is likely not to end well for anyone, including and especially our Asian allies, unless wiser and cooler heads are able to influence the future while recognizing the limits of American power and the consequences of its misuse.

It might mean a future based on fear of mutual destruction as in the good old US-Soviet Cold War days of containment and threat of mutual destruction.

Refugees in the UNITED Europe?

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Okay that is the title of the supposed union of European countries that should work together to form something approaching a United State of Europe. There is no doubt that the influx of refugees from the war-torn Middle East, not to mention South-Sahara Africa, has resulted in the display of the most discouraging lack of unity in the decades-long history of the EU. Here are the official EU statistics on the number of refugees accepted in 2015 and 2016 by various key pieces of this perplexing puzzle.

Germany – 1,200,000 – Germany is the biggest country in the EU; France is the second-largest and has accepted about one-seventh of the number in Germany
Italy – 206,500. Another 90,000 have already arrived in 2017 and it is estimated that another 200,000 are scattered around in Italy.
Sweden -191,240
Austria – 130,415
Denmark 27, 115.
Poland – 24,495
Ireland – 5,520
Czech Republic – 2,990
Slovakia 475

Not included are the statistics for the now remote off-shore land ironically called the United Kingdom, which voted to remove itself from the United Europe, though they clearly didn’t mean to. (But that’s a story for another day.)
The statistics speak for themselves with regard to the currently disunited and arguably disintegrating EU. The only bright spot on the horizon. As long as Trump is in power, the EU countries are going to show an increasing desire to huddle under some kind of umbrella in face of the endless rain.