Pressed again this week, so I’m going to comment briefly on a few topics. Stop me if I get ahead of myself.
Eliminate the middleman. I guess it’s official: Donald Trump is a phenomenon. Of course, in a field of seventeen candidates, all you need for first-tier status is to poll in the double digits. It’s not surprising that a quarter of the Republican activist electorate find his brand of arrogant, reality-star crackpotism attractive. He does make one valid point, I will admit – he doesn’t need another billionaire to bankroll him, unlike his 16 rivals. That’s because he’s his own billionaire.
So that’s his competitive advantage, right? No middleman necessary. Let the rich rule directly. Let’s hear it for feudalism! Submit yourself to the will of the landlord!
Schumer’s gambit. Senator Schumer has defended his decision to oppose the nuclear deal with Iran by suggesting that a deal more favorable to the U.S. and Israel can be forced through extension and intensification of sanctions and – I suppose – more aggressive negotiations. In this respect, he is channeling Trump. What’s sad about this is that even the administration, in its defense of the pact, buys into the same imperial mindset that has defined our relationship with Iran since 1979.
Personally, I don’t think the agreement is a particularly good deal for Iran. We still target them economically and politically, surround them militarily, blame them for every ill in the Middle East – which is really too much like the pot calling the kettle black. This is just payback for Iran’s unforgivable crime of stealing something truly valuable from us: their sovereignty.
What matters. Many have commented on the Black Lives Matter movement’s interruption of political rallies in recent weeks, and some have complained about the tactic being used on Bernie Sanders. Though I like Bernie, I can’t blame BLM for speaking up at every opportunity. This is an emergency for Black Americans, one that has been underway for hundreds of years. Until white folks start listening and responding appropriately, expect more disruptions.
Luv u,
jp
