by Pa Rock
Septuagenarian
A decade ago the United States committed the political blasphemy of electing a fairly young black man to the presidency. At forty-seven Barack Obama became the fifth-youngest person ever to be sworn in as President of the United States. Eight years later, Donald Trump became the oldest person ever to be sworn in as president at the ripe old age of seventy. America was having a backlash to the youth and vigor - and blackness - of Obama.
Now, nearly three full years into the Trump debacle, the United States still seems to have an underlying commitment to stuffing old white men, or those with the attitudes of old white men, into as many positions of power as possible.
Today billionaire Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, is making noises about entering the Democratic race. Bloomberg, a former Republican, seems concerned that if he does not get involved, the Democrats my put the party as risk by nominating someone other than safe Old Joe Biden.
If Bloomberg commits to the race, he will become the third white man over the age of seventy-five fighting for the Democratic nomination. His presence will help to insure that the powerful party geriatrics are able to successfully tamp down the political movements of economic mavericks, social reformers, justice-for-all advocates, immigrant rights enthusiasts, and even gay rights advocates. He and people like party chairman Tom Perez want to make sure that the Democratic Party remains a place where their mothers would be comfortable.
Bloomberg and Perez want a party base that is fired up, but not so fired up that they manage to nominate a candidate that doesn't fit their carefully crafted mold of an ideal nominee. (Barack Obama would not have fit that mold.) They want people to feel like they are being heard, and then to fall peacefully into line and actively support the candidate approved by the party elders and superdelegates.
So listen up, Democrats. Our party will tell us who we should be supporting, and then, like good lemmings, we must all get in line and do what we have to do.
Or not.
Septuagenarian
A decade ago the United States committed the political blasphemy of electing a fairly young black man to the presidency. At forty-seven Barack Obama became the fifth-youngest person ever to be sworn in as President of the United States. Eight years later, Donald Trump became the oldest person ever to be sworn in as president at the ripe old age of seventy. America was having a backlash to the youth and vigor - and blackness - of Obama.
Now, nearly three full years into the Trump debacle, the United States still seems to have an underlying commitment to stuffing old white men, or those with the attitudes of old white men, into as many positions of power as possible.
Today billionaire Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, is making noises about entering the Democratic race. Bloomberg, a former Republican, seems concerned that if he does not get involved, the Democrats my put the party as risk by nominating someone other than safe Old Joe Biden.
If Bloomberg commits to the race, he will become the third white man over the age of seventy-five fighting for the Democratic nomination. His presence will help to insure that the powerful party geriatrics are able to successfully tamp down the political movements of economic mavericks, social reformers, justice-for-all advocates, immigrant rights enthusiasts, and even gay rights advocates. He and people like party chairman Tom Perez want to make sure that the Democratic Party remains a place where their mothers would be comfortable.
Bloomberg and Perez want a party base that is fired up, but not so fired up that they manage to nominate a candidate that doesn't fit their carefully crafted mold of an ideal nominee. (Barack Obama would not have fit that mold.) They want people to feel like they are being heard, and then to fall peacefully into line and actively support the candidate approved by the party elders and superdelegates.
So listen up, Democrats. Our party will tell us who we should be supporting, and then, like good lemmings, we must all get in line and do what we have to do.
Or not.
1 comment:
Bloomberg's entrance into the race isn't as disturbing to me as it is to you. I don't expect Bloomberg to become the nominee. I expect that his voice will elevate the concerns of Students Demand Action and Moms Demands Action and energize the platform of the party and the focus of the campaign on meaningful gun regulations.
Beyond that Bloomberg will be a foil to Warren's tax the rich plans. That debate should be interesting.
The real enemy within the Democratic Party squelching the voice of progressive change is the presence of corporate Democrats with loads of cash to spend. They invest in the Bidens and the Bloombergs because they know that real change, change that creates a vital economy from the ground up, won't happen.
There is only a finite amount of political capital for a President to spend. Trump spent his on a tax giveaway scheme to the 1% and wealthy corporations. Obama spent his on Obamacare and curbing the Great Recession.
When it came time to bring the recovery to Main Street Obama sent the American Jobs Act to the Hill. The Republicans in the Senate rejected it because it was too big. Amy Klobuchar split the bill into segments and reintroduced it as several bills. Republicans again rejected it.
While we are in total agreement that the White House physician should not be a gerontologist I am enjoying the contest. We have candidates that inspire, candidates that have credentials, candidates that have money, and candidates that are cash strapped. No one broke out of Iowa the way Obama did. The winner will, I hope, have a moment where she or he seizes the nation's attention, frames the issues, and earns our allegiance; like Obama did.
In the meantime it has been spin rooms and sound bites.
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