Rumble in the Jungle: Biden v. Trump Presidential Debate Live Blog
Volatility is the central feature of this election, despite all efforts to keep things stable. It follows that the debate will be volatile.
Read more...Readers, I have had a correspondent characterize my views as realistic cynical. Let me briefly explain them. I believe in universal programs that provide concrete material benefits, especially to the working class. Medicare for All is the prime example, but tuition-free college and a Post Office Bank also fall under this heading. So do a Jobs Guarantee and a Debt Jubilee. Clearly, neither liberal Democrats nor conservative Republicans can deliver on such programs, because the two are different flavors of neoliberalism (“Because markets”). I don’t much care about the “ism” that delivers the benefits, although whichever one does have to put common humanity first, as opposed to markets. Could be a second FDR saving capitalism, democratic socialism leashing and collaring it, or communism razing it. I don’t much care, as long as the benefits are delivered. To me, the key issue — and this is why Medicare for All is always first with me — is the tens of thousands of excess “deaths from despair,” as described by the Case-Deaton study, and other recent studies. That enormous body count makes Medicare for All, at the very least, a moral and strategic imperative. And that level of suffering and organic damage makes the concerns of identity politics — even the worthy fight to help the refugees Bush, Obama, and Clinton’s wars created — bright shiny objects by comparison. Hence my frustration with the news flow — currently in my view the swirling intersection of two, separate Shock Doctrine campaigns, one by the Administration, and the other by out-of-power liberals and their allies in the State and in the press — a news flow that constantly forces me to focus on matters that I regard as of secondary importance to the excess deaths. What kind of political economy is it that halts or even reverses the increases in life expectancy that civilized societies have achieved? I am also very hopeful that the continuing destruction of both party establishments will open the space for voices supporting programs similar to those I have listed; let’s call such voices “the left.” Volatility creates opportunity, especially if the Democrat establishment, which puts markets first and opposes all such programs, isn’t allowed to get back into the saddle. Eyes on the prize! I love the tactical level, and secretly love even the horse race, since I’ve been blogging about it daily for fourteen years, but everything I write has this perspective at the back of it.
Volatility is the central feature of this election, despite all efforts to keep things stable. It follows that the debate will be volatile.
Read more...~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, Pandemics; The Debates, pre-game analysis; Murthy v. Missouri; Digital ID exposure debacle; CDK auto dealer outage and consumer spending ~
Read more...~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, pandemics ~
Read more...~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, Pandemics; the debates; Hillary Clinton’s forthcoming book; counting and scripting in the caring professions; mask bans spread ~
Read more...Litmus tests to see if Project 2025 is serious, and a close reading of its “Mandate for Leadership”
Read more...~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics and pandemics; many new Covid charts (New York and New England wastewater down; positivity up; New York hospitaliztation continues its weirdly steady rise); Trump lawfare status; Supreme Court decisions and Thursday’s debate ~
Read more...~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, pandemics; Allan McDonald and the Challenger debacle; Trump erases Biden money advantage after Bragg verdict; unexpected Bourdieu stan ~
Read more...~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, syndemics; early voting and October surprises; Trump and the Latino vote; Biden and the Latino vote; mask warriors ~
Read more...Trump’s mental acuity, voter appeal, and policies.
Read more...~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, pandemics; Democrat plotting; RFK doens’t make the cut for the debates; how a serious country (Finland) handled bird flu; The physics of knitting. ~
Read more...A new report shows oil majors fall short of meeting Paris Agreement targets while fueling global military conflicts.
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