Vote Dems Vote!

Time to talk about the Supreme Court. With Anthony Kennedy retiring the tRump slavering over his new pick, we could be looking down the barrel of a loaded rifle that will be firing away at civil rights, women's rights, gay rights,workers rights, not to mention the environment, immigration and whatever else you hold dear, for forty years or so. If we don't do something about it.

Now.

Elect Democrats in November. Wherever you are, stop what you're doing and get to a phone bank or fly to a District with a potentially winnable Congressional race. This is our task. No whining!

Of course, we'd love it if they were young, progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who beat old-timer Joe Crowley, considered a favorite to be the next leader of the House Dems. Not so fast, Joe. He did graciously endorse her and even played a song for her on a guitar.

So, the old timers (and I are one) are moving aside to let the youngsters take over. Some of us old-timers are progressives don't forger. (Think Bernie). So i really don't see it as a generational thing, but more of it's time to be feisty, resist, fight back, solve problems and move forward with programs that actually help people.

Getting that message to voting public is the rub. All good ideas welcomed at this blog!

It's almost the Fourth of July! No firecrackers please; fire danger and you'll scare the dogs. But do indulge in some all American Strawberry Shortcake. Home made, with organic berries and cream of course. Put a few blueberries in there for a red, white and blue effect, if you wish.

 From Fine Cooking. Very yum!

Classic Strawberry Shortcake

By Karen Barker Fine Cooking Issue 111

Servings: 6

These biscuits get their light, tender texture from buttermilk and baking powder, and their rich flavor from an egg, cream, and lots of butter. This simple dessert is best made at the height of strawberry season, using the juiciest, sweetest strawberries you can find. Looking for more shortcake inspiration? See a slideshow of twists on this classic version, from chocolate biscuits to roasted berries.
Watch a video of Fine Cooking‘s Homegrown/Homemade team making this strawberry shortcake recipe.

Ingredients

For the strawberries

• 1 lb. ripe strawberries, hulled (about 4 cups)
• 2 Tbs. granulated sugar; more to taste

For the biscuits

• 9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for rolling
• 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 4 oz. (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup heavy cream; more for brushing
• 1/4 cup buttermilk

For the whipped cream

• 1-1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 Tbs. granulated sugar

 Preparation

Prepare the strawberries

• Put one-third of the berries in a medium bowl and, using a potato masher, crush them into a chunky purée. Slice the remaining berries 1/4 inch thick and stir them into the mashed berries along with the sugar. Taste the berries, adding more sugar if necessary. Let the berries sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Make the biscuits

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F. Line a large heavy-duty baking sheet with parchment.Sift the flour, 1/3 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, and baking soda into a large bowl. Stir in the salt. Using a pastry blender, a fork, or your fingertips, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.In a small bowl, beat the egg and heavy cream with a fork. Mix in the buttermilk. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the cream mixture. Mix with the fork until the dough is evenly moistened and just comes together; it will still look a little shaggy. Gather the dough and gently knead it three or four times. If the dough seems dry and doesn’t form a cohesive mass, work in more cream, 1 tsp. at a time. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll it into a 3/4 -inch-thick disk. With a sharp 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, press straight down to cut the dough into rounds and lift straight up to remove (don’t twist the cutter or it will seal the sides of the biscuits and interfere with rising). Transfer the rounds to the prepared baking sheet. Gather the dough scraps, gently knead them together, re-roll, and cut out more biscuits until you have a total of 6.
  Lightly brush the biscuit tops with cream (about 1 Tbs.) and sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tbs. sugar. Bake, rotating the baking sheet once, until the biscuit tops are lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Let the biscuits cool slightly while you whip the cream.

Whip the cream

• In a large, chilled metal bowl, whip the heavy cream and sugar to soft peaks with an electric hand mixer. (Use immediately or refrigerate, covered until ready to serve).

Assemble the shortcakes

• Using a serrated knife, split the warm biscuits in half horizontally and transfer the bottoms to 6 dessert plates. Spoon about three-quarters of the macerated berries and their juice evenly over the biscuit bottoms. It’s OK if some of the berries spill out onto the plate. Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and cover each with a biscuit top. Spoon more berries and cream over each shortcake and serve immediately.

Make Ahead Tips
The biscuits can be baked 10 to 12 hours ahead and reheated in a 350°F oven before serving. The strawberries can be macerated up to 2 hours ahead. The cream can be whipped up to 2 hours ahead and refrigerated, covered. If necessary, lightly rewhip before using.

Now is Not the Time

Marin Voice: Now is not the time to give up on politics

By Dotty LeMieux (Reprinted from Marin IJ - Article by moi)

Posted: 08/07/

 

4 Comments

 

POLITICS UNDER THE ORANGE DOME

 

Admittedly this is a crazy time in American politics. Never before have we seen so many presidential appointments come and go so rapidly.

You can almost hear President Donald Trump saying to each one, “Welcome to the White House; don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” as he ushers them in one door and out the other.
Times are rough all over, as people prepare for the 2018 elections, praying there will be a 2018 at all, with a wary eye on North Korea, Iran and Russia.

Not to mention the man behind the White House curtains.

The popularity of politicians is at an all-time low. Whether you don’t trust this government, the previous government or government in general, a lack of trust in elected officials is rampant.

So why would anyone want to run for local office?

LOCAL POLITICS STILL A GOOD BET

Good question. The answer is that the only way to counter the negativity in national politics is to start electing good, ethical people to local offices.

Some of them will go on to higher office and some won’t. Either way, they have the opportunity to make a difference in their towns and cities, their counties and special district areas, like water board, sewer board and of course school boards.

In Marin, most of the city councils have been holding their elections in odd-numbered years. While the state and national elections have all been in even-numbered years, leading to a lopsided voting pattern, with many voters ignoring local elections altogether.

Starting in 2018, local Marin County, (and all of local Califonria), offices will now be elected in even-numbered years, to encourage higher voter turnout. But this year offers a unique final chance to run in an off-year election in these communities: Fairfax, Novato, San Rafael, San Anselmo and Larkspur all have regular elections this year, while Tiburon and Sausalito have special elections to fill a vacancy. 

Some of the terms will be for three years and others for five (except for Tiburon, which is only for one year), until all communities have moved their elections in even numbered years.

If you live in one of these towns, you might consider a run. Maybe you’ve served on a board or commission and have been thinking about running before.

Maybe you’ve been a community volunteer and want to do more. Maybe you just see a need that you are uniquely qualified to fill.

For those jurisdictions where all the incumbents are running to keep their seats, filing closes on Aug. 11. 

But if any incumbent decides not to run, filing will remain open until Aug. 16 for any non-incumbent to run.

The time to make that decision is now. And if not this year, maybe next year, when other seats will be up.

RUN TO WIN!

Even if you haven’t decided what you are running for or when, or even if you want to run, but are curious to learn more about the process, you might want to attend an election training to learn more.
The Marin Women’s Political Action Committee (MWPAC), a nonpartisan group dedicated to helping pro-choice women and men run for office, is holding a campaign training session on Aug. 23, at the McInnis Park Club restaurant in San Rafael. 

Beginning at 5:30 p.m., the program will feature campaign professionals, as well as elected officers and editorial page editors, to discuss such things as the nuts and bolts of campaigning, raising funds, managing your time as a candidate and as an elected official and how to get those important newspaper endorsements.

The cost is $30 and includes a buffet dinner and handouts that offer tips for would-be candidates.
MWPAC is a membership organization and welcomes all pro-choice women and men to join.

In September, there will be an endorsement meeting to choose who the organization will support in the coming election.

To vote in that endorsement process, held on Sept. 13, you must be a dues-paying member by Aug. 13, or 30 days before the endorsement night.

More information about the organization and upcoming events can be found at www.mwpac.orgwww.mwpac.org

Dotty LeMieux is a Marin political consultant who leads GreenDog Campaigns in San Rafael. 

And  should all this politicking make you hungry, eat a healthy (or at least tasty) snack while on the campaign trail:

 

Poem for These Times

And now for a little culture:

When I Hear Trump

When Trump says “carnage” I think “martial law”

When he says “millions of illegal votes cast” I think “mass deportations”

When his spokesperson says “alternative facts” I think “propaganda, lies, Nazi Germany”

When he says “My crowd is bigger than your crowd” I think  “schoolyard bully”

When he cuts off funding for abortions for poor women I think coat hangers, back alleys, barefoot  and pregnant.

When he says “Let’s build the wall” I hear Ronald Reagan saying “Tear down that wall!”

When he says build that pipeline I see bodies lined up end to end, border to border.

When I hear people say “Let’s give him a chance” I think of frogs slowly simmering in rising water, until the time of their devouring 

Alligators in charge of the swamp - Life in the time of Trump

Welcome to our swamp, citizens! We have it fully stocked with gators, just waiting to thrash their tails and sharpen their teeth. This swamp is a particularly nice one, with a whole new crew of critters moving in. Here are some of the Swamp Monster's Cabinet picks:

Secretary of Corporations, formerly Department of State  – Rex Tillerson, former head of Exxon Mobil, who was overheard speaking into a cell phone as he boarded the Trump Express for Russia, "I'm checking on my holdings there, Vlad. Chill the vodka."

Secretary of Public Lands Mining and Drilling, formerly the Dept. of the Interior - Ryan Zinke, former Navy Seal, who wants to keep those contracts in Donald Trump’s, eh, the public’s, hands.

Department of Nuclear Proliferation, formerly Department of Energy – Rick Perry, former Governor of Texas who has stated he wants to get rid of this department altogether. “Energy smenergy” said Perry. “We should sell those nukes to the highest bidder, now.”

Department of Worker Management, formerly Department of Labor – Andrew Puzder, fast food CEO. Says Mr. Puzder, “This is a great opportunity to put a stop to higher wages and those pesky unions, so the great unwashed can enjoy a cheap Hardee’s roast beef sandwich, while I get richer, and can make more donations to Trump, as God meant things to be.”  

NBA, formerly SBA – Linda McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment, who said, “What do you mean it’s not about basketball? Who wants to watch small businesses on TV?”

Department of Fossil Fuels, formerly Environmental Protection Agency – Scott Pruitt – former Oklahoma Attorney General, who says, “Drill baby drill, get every last drop out of the ground. Climate change is just a hoax by those tree hugging, polar bear loving, organic foods eating liberals. Be a man and eat smog.”  

Show me the Money Department, formerly Department of the Treasury – Steve Mnuchin former Goldman Sachs executive, who loves him some Hollywood movies. “Get your hands off my cash,” said Mnuchin, when asked how he’d advise the government in matters of money.

Department of Privatize This, formerly Health and Human Services – Tom Price, leader of the opposition to the Affordable care Act, which he called “a commie plot to let poor sick people off the hook, and impoverish insurance companies. That’s just wrong,” when asked his opinion of Obama’s signature health policy.

Department of Charter This! formerly Department of education – Betsy DeVoss, charter school advocate who says kids appreciate education more when they have to pay for it, instead of us paying for those damn teachers unions always wanting better pay at the expense of administrators.

Secretary of Homelessness and Blight, formerly Secretary of Housing and Urban Development – Ben Carson, neurosurgeon and former candidate for President.  Mr. Carson said, “I think Section 8 is a part of the brain we can just cut out because it doesn’t fit anymore. It’s not brain surgery. Poor people just cost money. If you can’t afford a house, live in a box; that's why God made cardboard.”

CIA director, formerly CIA Director – Mike Pompeo, former Army officer, who said, “Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi!” 

Border Wall Department, formerly Attorney General – Jeff sessions. “Get them wetbacks out of here!” said Mr. Sessions, wielding a Confederate saber which he rattled meaningfully.

Court Jestor, formerly Chief of Staff – Rience Priebus, GOP stooge in charge.

Overlord, formerly Chief Strategist – Stephen K. Bannon, Alt-Right News. “What, you never read 1984?”

 

Either-Or? Or is it?

Well, it’s been three weeks and the Trumpster in Chief is still the Mad Tweeter in Chief. Are we living in a farce? I could talk about Democratic unity, but it hardly seems anyone cares anymore. Who will be the new DNC chair and will it make any difference? Can the Electors really choose the one who won the popular vote, that’d be Hillary, and change the course of history? No one seriously thinks that’s a possibility.

And what did the Russians really do and what kind of effect did it have on the outcome, if any?

All questions without answers, unless you are a conspiracy theorist and then you know it was all rigged and Bernie would have won if the DNC hadn’t stolen the primary. 

For daring to assert that no one knows if Bernie could have won the general if he had been the nominee, I get called a Hillary troll (I was a Bernie delegate, as my loyal readers know); if I suggest that the Trump team would have buried Bernie in a sea of lies, innuendo, historical revisionism and plain old nasty name calling (Can you just see the tweets? #BolshevikBernie; #PornGate; #DonothingCongress – that would be the kindest one), I get called a fake progressive; sort of like the Doubting Thomas of Biblical times. Tempers are that high. And those are my allies.

The Hillary side is just as bad. Now the great Democratic divide is over “identity politics” versus “progressive economics.” I tell them it’s not an either-or thing. We need to reach out to and offer something to those who are out of work, underemployed, undereducated, fearful and ignorant. Plus we need to stand firm for all minorities, and women, the largest “minority of all (I never have understood how we can be the majority and still the underclass at the same time.) But maybe it is and I don’t get it. 

 Anyone want to weigh in? Here's what the Daily Kos said a almost two years ago: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/6/4/1390747/-Identity-Politics-vs-Inequality-Politics-My-Two-Cents 

If Jesus Christ Himself had Run Against Trump

Preface: I was a Bernie Sanders delegate at the Philadelphia National Convention in July. While it was clear from the primaries Bernie wasn't going to be the nominee, while he himself had endorsed Hillary the week before and he was the one who made the nomination, still many of the "Berners" around me insisted he could still carry the day. They said, "we must talk to the Superdelegates, get them to change their mind." Too late. And it wasn't the Superdelegates, it was the voters. People pointed the finger of blame at the DNC (guilty), at the media (guilty) and at those of us who accepted reality and went on to support Hillary after the Convention. (I won't accept guilt for that, but all of us should have pushed Hillary to address the real issues, like loss of jobs and alienation in the so-called "Rust-belt" States).

So who do I blame? The Zeitgeist mostly. I do not think this could have been pulled out no matter how much more Hillary did, or Bernie did, or the few Stein or Bernie-write-in voters did, that this election could have been save.

And if you think it's because they didn't like "crooked" Hillary, or the emphasis on the emails, or the last minute James Comey kerfuffle, yeah, that was all part of it. But this was the year of the dumb white man. The gross white man. The angry white man, who says what he wants and isn't going to be pushed around any more, by liberal elites, by his nagging wife, by the Boss. He's mad and he's not going to take it anymore.

It could have been Jesus Christ himself, come back to save us all by running against Trump. And it wouldn't have made a bit of difference.

"Turn the other cheek?" Real men don't turn the other cheek, they sock the other guy in the jaw.

"Suffer the little children?" Bugger the little children.

"Get those money changers out of the temple?" Whoa, there, those are my money changers, my money, my pay day loans.

He could clean up his act, cut his hair, put on a suit and tie, or just roll up the sleeves on his blue dress shirt, and they would kick his butt back to the manger.

"Hippy!" "Communist!" "Faggot!" "Jew!" Maybe even, with a name like Jesus, "Mexican!" He wouldn't last through the Primary.

So when people say "Bernie Sanders would have won," I wonder. I thought that might have been true, but looking at the numbers, at the votes in the job-loss places,  I'm not so sure. I think they would have eviscerated him, a 74 year old Socialist Jew from the Northeast. It's easy saying it's just about jobs, but even if Hillary went to those places, what could she offer that the Orange One didn't? Or, let's look at what he offered that no other candidate ever has - permission, permission to blame the other, permission to let our your inner demons. I  think this election hinged on not out and out racism of the disaffected voters, but a xenophobia that neither the Democrats nor the mainstream Republicans had a panacea for.

So, in a match up between the billionaire buffoon urging hate, and the rebel Senator from Vermont urging restraint. No, they would torn him apart. they never would have believed he could get them their jobs back, but they were willing to believe Trump. Why? Even though he was crude and lewd; even though the had gone through fortunes like water, they identified with him. Why? Maybe they welcomed the chance to cut loose their own crude lewd, racist thoughts, the ones they'd been held back from by their perception of the stranglehold of "political correctness." Maybe they liked that he was a multiple bankrupt, like so many of them, mortgaged and impoverished. Only of course, we know he was never impoverished, no matter how many bankruptcies he had.

Maybe they thought they could BE him someday, and he would teach them the secret, or they would get it by osmosis once he was in power. Who knows, but here we are. There he is, and where we go from here is anybody's guess.

Nobody ever wanted to be Jesus, or Bernie sanders for that matter. They never got to have their own TV Show. It may be just simple celebrity. Whatever it is, we just ain't got it.

If you Support Bernie, Vote Hillary

Let me preface this by saying I am a Bernie Sanders supporter. I was a Bernie Sanders Delegate to the Democratic National Convention. If you're a regular reader of this blog, you saw my posts, and photos from Philadelphia. I sat up in the almost nosebleed section way to the left of the stage with the other California Bernie delegates, who waved signs and chanted and some of whom walked out in protest after Hillary secured the nomination, the night that Bernie, in fact, nominated her.

I would like nothing better than to write in Bernie Sanders on my ballot, but I won't do it, not even in safe California.  Why? Because for Bernie to succeed in the Senate, for any of the hard-fought planks of the Democratic Platform so many of my fellow delegates helped craft, and to keep this Revolution going, we must elect Hillary Clinton as the next President of the United States and we must do it overwhelmingly.

And for the record, I waved my No More Wars sign and chanted as loudly as the others did when Leon Panetta spoke in glowing terms of the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden; and when Hillary herself reprised the same theme. And I waved my Ban Fracking and No TPP signs when Kaine and Jerry Brown spoke. I felt it was important to protest and to send a message. But I felt and feel it was and is just as important to support our candidates, both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, as Democrats and as the bulwark against a Trump victory, and even more critically, a Trump movement of fear, racism, misogyny, climate change denial, and so much more that will only grow stronger and more hateful in the face of weak Hillary victory.

We can't afford to let that happen. 

The Clinton nomination wasn't a surprise to anyone who had been paying attention, but it didn't stop the loyalists from calling foul. There were, after all, leaked emails from some DNC staffers who seemed set on doing everything they could to make sure Bernie did not get the nomination. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chair, was rightly forced to resign on the eve of the Convention because of it. 

But now, the only way for our progressive values and the Bernie Sanders campaign to be more than a footnote of history, and to defeat the venom of Trump is to hand Hillary a landslide victory. No, the Donald will never stop his poisonous rants and inciting violence and hatred among his followers, but if she gets a humongous popular vote on Election Day, it might dim the momentum of whatever evil deed he plans for after the election, claiming it was "rigged, so rigged" and that he's the rightful Commander in Chief and she is a pretender to the throne.

She needs to have a large popular vote to show she can govern without a split citizenry; she must win the trust of vast numbers of American voters to govern effectively. And she must win decisively to create a tidal wave of down ballot votes for Democratic candidates in Red States and Districts.

Writing in Bernie Sanders or voting Third Party not only diminishes her influence and her credibility in the White House, it hinders any progress on progressive issues. It casts a pall on the legitimacy of any strides attempted to be made by Democrats. It emboldens the Republican obstructionists in the House and Senate. We live in a divided nation. One thing the Donald's toxic campaign has shown us is just how far we are away from a truly just and equal society. Why then would we even further divide our nation, by splitting ourselves, supposed the rational, humane, environmentally and socially conscious ones, into splinter groups each wedded to our own form of purity and self-righteousness? Now is not the time for dissension in the ranks of the left. As Michael Moore says in his brilliant new movie Michael Moore in Trumpland, "Hate Hillary, but force yourself to vote for her anyway."

I have been called out by my fellow delegates. I've been labeled a "Troll" and a "Hill-bot" for listening to Bernie Sanders when he said we need Hillary Clinton in the White House. But, here's how I see it. The ones who have betrayed their progressive values, who have turned their back on their (our) candidate Bernie Sanders are the ones now urging a vote for Jill Stein or a write-in vote for Bernie they know is nothing but a protest vote. A protest of a system we all know is far from perfect. So I do understand their anger, their disappointment and their protest. But I also believe Bernie when he says "Now is not the time for a protest vote." By turning their backs on Bernie now, by abandoning the Democratic Party (yes I know many of them were never Democrats to begin with, just played one to get to the Convention), is to ignore the real strides made in this revolutionary, historical campaign that netted Bernie Sanders more than 1800 delegates to the Democratic National Convention. And yes, I am very proud to have been one of them.

I was and am proud of the platform Bernie helped fashion with the hard work done by many of these same delegates who now gloat over Hillary's emails, while virtually ignoring Trump's sex scandals, hatred and ugly greed. No, now is not the time for a protest vote. Now is the time to be united. Then keep the movement alive on November 9th and beyond. Do it for Bernie.

Let's not throw our precious vote away.

Too Many "October Surprises" to keep Track of

Update: All this to do has to do with serial sexter Anthony Wiener. See  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/29/us/politics/fbi-hillary-clinton-email.html  Remember him? And the server they were on, apparently was his. What this has to do with Hillary I don't know, except Wiener's wife, Huma Abedin, works for Hillary. Anthony looks like a small time perv compared to the Donald, the "Groper in Chief."

First it was emails, then it was Trump's gloating about sexually assaulting women, then accusations of "voter fraud" now back to the emails. Deja vu all over again?

Such reputable outsets as Mother Jones and NPR are reporting James Comey's new investigation into whether or not  some emails found on another device held by another person might be relevant.
This is being done, said Comey " to determine whether they contain classified information, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation."


What it is we don't know. No one does and Comey has not said. So why is it being reported as though it is some major new revelation. Trump of course is gloating; Fox News is salivating.

Comey Letter:

11 days until Election Day. I wonder how all this came about so conveniently at this time? As the Donald said about revelations of his own slimy behavior with women. "Lies, all lies," said the Donald, threatening to sue the women who accused him of sexual assault.





Why then is he so willing to assume the worst about the FBI simply doing their due diligence by looking at what these emails may contain?

Do we even have to ask?

What next, Flying Monkeys?

Going from Bernie to Trump, Really?

In the 60's we talked about "heightening the contradictions," that if things got so bad in America, that they would have to take a turn for the better, that people would wake up from their Cold War stuper and slap themselves upside the head, saying "I coulda had a revolution!"

Then we little radicals would run in and claim our rightful places in the new government, after the old one crumbled from it's own weight, and would be hailed as conquering heroes, while still being under thirty.

Remember "Never trust anyone over thirty"? Now we are all over thirty, way over and we can look back on that time with a little it of reality and historical perspective

As a Bernie Sanders delegate who proudly case my vote for the most progressive, the only true progressive in the running this year, at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, I am living in a kind of deja vu. Shades of the 60's and Eugene McCarthy (although i was not "clean for Gene" back then, because I thought that was a rather condescending and demeaning phrase, assuming all young people were dirty and had to be cleaned up before they could go on the stump). We did not get the progressive candidate of our choice, but we did get a lot accomplished. Instead of taking credit for a job well done, instead of listening to Bernie Sanders when he urges us to vote for Hillary, when he even nominated her, some of his delegates are pushing Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, who doesn't have a chance. Or worse, openly rooting for a Trump victory, because that will pave the way for a truly progressive president to emerge and win, next time.

Now, before you jump all over me and say I sold out, then or now, look at the parallels. In 1968, we had a choice between Richard "I am not a crook" Nixon and Hubert Humphrey. Humphrey had been a civil rights leader in his day. But these days he was looking just liberal, maybe a warmonger, certainly the establishment. Tricky Dick was a liar and a thief and sleazeball paranoiac, but we decided in our youthful wisdom that they were just the same, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.
 

We marched in rallies when Humphrey came to town and chanted "Dump the Hump!" We didn't vote. (To be fair to my young self, I couldn't vote, as the voting age was 21 and I had just turned 20 that year). We got Nixon and the rest, as they say, is History. Ok, it would have been history one way or the other. But my point is we thought let them vote for Nixon; things will surely change. I bet some people even said what some Bernie Sanders supporters now say, If Nixon (Trump) is elected, we'll be setting the stage for a really progressive president next time." Fast forward past Cambodia, Kent State, Watergate, impeachment, resignation. Gerald Ford. 1975. The Vietnam War finally ends.

Then we do get Jimmy Carter, the earnest peanut farmer, one of the best I think, but weak as a president and vulnerable to an October surprise, paving the way to Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush. Finally Clinton, not the most progressive, but a Democrat; then George W. Bush, warmonger extreme and village idiot. Which brings us to Obama. And now, you say Trump will lead to a truly progressive era. The best we've been able to do is fight like crazy to clean up the mess left behind.

Been there, tried that. Bernie Sanders himself, who was also there and so is a part of living history some of his own supporters who now spout off on Facebook, should pay attention to. Am i in love with Hillary Clinton? I am not. Is she the lesser of two evils? She may well be. But do you really want to take a chance with racism, mysogeny, anti-immigration policies, anti-labor, and all that goes with Trump's vision of "Making America great again," as a social experiment you hope will turn out ok in the end.

If you won't listen to Bernie, pick up a damn book. Go on the History Channel. Google the last nearly fifty years and tell yourself how great it is to live in this post-Nixon time, when all is peace and love. Because, wait for it, the contradictions were heightened.

Magical thinking my friends. Accept reality, accept the very real victories we have earned with more than 1800 Bernie Sanders delegates in Philadelphia, with the most progressive and forward -looking platform the democratic Party has had in years, if ever, with Hillary invoking Bernie's name and policies. Don't see it as co-optation; see it as a chance. Don't squander it. That is the way to a truly progressive future, maybe even in your lifetimes.

Vote!

Donald Trump's Locker Room

Satire alert; hope you like it.

Deep under Trump Tower in New York, Donald Trump entered his private locker room from the sauna, his big belly heaving over the skimpy towel. He began to sniff eagerly, like a hound dog seeking out a treed raccoon.

"Do I smell sweat socks?" he asked of Putin, just pulling up his girdle.

"Not mine, you don't" Vlad said, giving a delicate sniff of his own. "Must be Howard Stern's.

Howard sauntered over, hair all disheveled and breathing heavily. "I think it's my pits Donald. Here." He held up a hairy armpit, which caused Donald to draw back just the slightest bit.

"Pussy!" accused Howard, while Putin sniggered.

"Who you calling pussy, you dickhead!" Donald retorted, his orange face turning beet red.

"Don't give yourself a coronary," Vlad said, examining his pecs in the locker room mirror. "We need someone to wipe down these mirrors. They're all steamed up."

"Get Kelly Ann," said Trump, opening his own locker, where his climate controlled stem proof mirror hung from the door. He proceeded to pull out various sprays, lotions and potions, and applying them liberally to his hair.

"What is that anyway?" Howard Stern said, coming up behind Donald. "A dead wombat?"

"Why you Kike bastard!" Are you stalking me?"

"Calm down," Vlad implored the two men. "It's just locker room banter Donald. Don't get your panties in a twist."

"You know I can bomb the pants right offa you anytime I want Vlad, so cool your jets. My bombs are the best, by the by the way. So good." He sniffed heavily again. "Gym socks in here somewhere. Who's that hiding under the bench over there? Hey you with the smelly feet!"

"Sorry sir," said the meek smallish man wearing a Trump for Dictator tee shirt in day glow orange. "I'm the janitor. I can only afford one pair of socks, and the laundromat in my building is defective. I thought since you were all for the people, and helping us little guys, maybe you could spare a pair or two. My athlete's foot makes it really hard to keep the job."

"My good man," said Trump, beckoning the little fellow to him. "You may be small in stature, but you are great in political capital. And I do have a thing for stinky feet you know. So real."

"Then you'll help me?" asked the man, hardly able to believe his good fortune.

"I didn't say that. But I might be able to give you a part in my next TV ad, which I will fund myself. I'm rich, you know, so rich. And I love the little guy. No one loves the little guy as much as I do. Almost as much as the women. And not a word out of you two bozos or it's Siberia for both of you, he said, menacingly to Putin and Stern.

"What happened to your hair anyway Howard? You been wrestling alligators or something?"

"Ha! I was mobbed on the way in here by a bunch of liberal pinkos with protest signs. They assaulted me!"

"Did you call the cops?"

"Nah, they were all girl scouts, trying to sell me cookies, in between the smackdown. They are a tough bunch."

"I'd like a cookie. Did you get any?"

"Not cookies," said Howard, meaningfully."

"Hey, that's great locker room banter, don't you think Vlad and..." he turned to the diminutive janitor "What's your name, anyway? You look familiar. Do I know you"

"It's John Kasich; I used to be, you know, a Republican candidate. "But after my humiliating loss, I had to take any job I could."

"Can you clean the steam off this mirror?" Vlad gestured Kasich over.

"I guess so, but I sure could use those socks, Mr. Trump."

"When you make an ad for me, then we'll see about the socks."

"I'm not sure about that ad, Mr. Trump. I know I'm poor and deperate, but my wife would kill me."

"Your wife?!" Donald grew outrageous. "Get yourself another one. Clean socks. That will do the trick. But first the ad."

With that, he turned back to primping, his bowl full of jelly tummy bobbing along to the spritzers of hair product he kept applying as Kasich pleaded with Vlad for some clean socks in exchange for clearing the mirror. Howard Stern turned off his mic and scooted off to air the tape on his next show.

Trump and Putin: the Dream Ticket

A little borrowed levity from Michael Lerner, written by another Rabbi with a good sense of humor and outrage. Enjoy:

[A bit of humor in light of the latest revelations about a presidential candidate whose disgusting attitude toward women is no laughing matter! This is a selection from a fuller piece written by my Jewish Renewal rabbinic colleague Elliot Ginsburg who teaches Jewish Studies at the U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor-- Warm regards to all. Rabbi Michael Lerner rabbilerner.tikkun@gmail.com]  Trump Exes Pence and taps Putin as new Veepster (unedited transcript) Breaking News:  And here to deliver the news is our undercover reporter, known gnomically as Trump L’ie. (Or do you say, Trump L’Oy?)...His voice has been digitally altered lest he be publicly fingered and outed…and force-fed with well-meaning gluten. Thanks Pritchard. I’m here streaming undercover at the Tsibl Tower, deep in the heart of Gruzya and have we got a hot scoop for you.  [Full voice, stentorian]: As we all know, pressure has been mounting over the past 36 hours for Donald J. Trump to withdraw from the Presidential race in the wake of the Excess Hollywood tape scandal. We have it on reliable source that Trump is planning his counter-offensive, preemptively removing Mike Pence from the ticket for his “half-baked, on-the-fence support” and “his longish fingers which make me look bad.” And here’s the gobsmacker: The Donald’s allegedly replacing “Weak-Mike Pence” with “a strong leader” with downright stubby digits, Vladimir Putin—who would simultaneously retain his position as pre-eminent Russian leader. This unprecedented decision came about in a hush-hush confab in the Alaska compound of travel-show host Sarah “Litwack” Palin (or do you say, Poiln?). Palin has been serving as Trump’s unofficial advisor on World Affairs and Birth Control. (In that order. First the Affairs and then the Birth Control.) Campaign Insiders Newt Gingrinch and Chris Crispie (code-name Creme)—Trump’s Weight-Watcher sponsors—were also in tow. Looking through Sarah’s famous window, Trump reportedly grew agitated before growing glassy eyed and waxing prophetic: “I see London, I see France, I see no future under Pence….In fact, I see the future and it is Rootin’ Tootin’ Vladimir Fuckin-Putin rearing his head (and heading u-know-who’s pantsuited rear) as my Veep. If Crooked Hillary launches a Putin Riot, we boink the protesters, and make America really great again. Vladimir Putin, initials Vee-Pee, will be my sidekick and hobnobber, my bouncer- in-chief. We give half-baked Pence the heave-ho, the hobnailed boot, and bring on Putin-Boots. Or as I call him, Vlad the Impaler. Did you see the size of that man’s hands? Smaller than mine. Newt interrupts (gassy): Er, one problem, Donald. He’s not exactly American or even Murican. That’s against the Second Amendment—even if Scalia were still alive and kicking—as I’ve noted in my learned books. Trump: No problem. We give Putin special status as native-born, like the rigged system did for John McCain who was born in Panama, or that Mexican, Mitt Romney. Where was the damn wall when we fuckin’ needed it? Crispie: No Donald. You can’t make Putin American until after you assume rule and expand the Second Amendment by executive fiat. Trump: Unless. Unless...I've been pullin' your legs, guys. Damn it, Sarah, you tell ‘em: Sarah: You betcha. And aren’t we all looking swell in our sensiband expando-slacks?! So, I got this doohickey from Breitbart this morning…. Trump (interrupting). Wrong. It was technically last night, Alaska time, in the wee hours my time, while I was tooting up a storm or maybe tweeting. It’s Vladimir Fuckingovich Putin’s secret goddam birth-certificate. The long-form. Says right here, he’s really from... get this, that swing state, Florida. Crispie: no shit Gingrinch: you sure it’s real… Trump: it’s a real hack...really real. Could have been the Russians, or maybe Jina or maybe it’s from my 400 pound twin brother sitting on a bed somewhere. But it’s real...I can smell, and taste, and rub its yuge reality. See, born in Florida. St. Petersberg, to be exact. Gingrich: shit... Trump: Yup, da man’s from St. Petersburg. Right here, in black and white. Fucking St Pete. I love Florida. I own half of Florida. I have many buildings there. We could make Del-a-Mar the new White House! Build a dacha for Putin behind. So, in with Putin, out with Fencey-Pence. We got this baby in the Gucci bag. A round of Trump Steaks for the house! (Pauses to spray hair) Liar liar yo’ Pence be fired! Sarah (martial in tone): Newt and Chris, you take care of Reince and Ryan. I’ll neutralize Pence with some fractured syntax. We’ll all need new hats: Maybe “Make America-n-Russia great again.” Something with faux fur ear-flaps. And maybe some sexy caribou antlers for huntin’ season. Gingrinch: Yeah, but what’s in it for Putin? Trump: He keeps his Russian post. And we give him an American beach-head: West Palm Beach, Miami Beach and Boynton Beach. And a sexy byatch, the one from Days of our Lives. Did you see her legs? And maybe if he pushes back real hard, Brighton Beach. Crispie: And remember, I have a bridge I could sell him real cheap. He’s got the dough. As they say, Crimea pays. Trump: Fellows, fellows...leave it to the Donald to close the deal. I tell you. Vlad’s got the hots for me. Believe me. No one has greater hots for me than him. I’m one star he can’t resist. For starters, we can go horseback riding. He without his shirt and me without my Pence. I’ll dismount. I’ll remount. We’ll rub noses. I’ll suck his toots, get him all hot and buttered, and, the piece de no-resistance, grab him by his Putin. Trump for the Win! Chris and Newt: Yessss! Score one for the Donald. Trump: Sarah, pack my extra-long tie and my rack of tic-tacs... [ Now, he has something to say in tonight's debate!]