MItt, The Name

People have been making fun of the name Mitt. That strikes me as odd, given the many famous Mitts in our world. Consider this list: Mitty Mouse, Mitt N. Berle, Mitty Mantle, Mitt Jagger, DeMitt Clinton, Mt. Mittney, Eartha Mitt, Brad Mitt, and many others. Willard Mitt Romney is a name as American as spam sushi.  I'm thinking of adopting Mitt as my own middle name.

I Volunteer. . . .

Yesterday I drove to the HQ of the Democratic Party in Sonoma County, at 701 2nd St., Santa Rosa, and volunteered to staff a desk one afternoon a week. I didn't meet anyone I knew there, but the office manager set me up. I've done political work of various kinds, but this will be my first stint in a county HQ.

Driving home I listened to Rush Limbaugh fulminating about how President Obama's campaign is floundering and failing. Actually it is Limbaugh who is floundering and failing. I love it when the radical right pushes misinformation onto its cult members. They are doing what Clint Eastwood thought was impossible (much like Mittly Romney).

From what I've read recently, Romney thinks himself quite gracious in offering his problem solving skills (as an efficiency expert) to the American people. A major reason he has no program is that he considers himself a problem solver. After he is elected by acclamation, he will take up each problem and find an expert solution. No worries.

What Goes Around: Federalism

People want to know if Mitt Romney is a Federalist. Well, there were many kinds of Federalists, serious idealists like George Washington and John Adams and all those plutocrats whose names we don't remember. Soon we won't remember "Mitt Romney."

A Federalist believed that there were two classes of people, a 1% born to leadership (enhanced by a Harvard education and the leisure to think deep thoughts supplied by wealth) and a natural loser class of followers, the 99%,  who worked on farms or in useful businesses. Federalist leaders did not work in useful businesses--they speculated. Even in 1780 the leaders were venture capitalists, not manufacturers, according to Federalist ideology.

Federalist leaders were entitled to hold our public offices. The offices supposedly came to them without effort, as the farming masses eagerly voted for their betters. A Federalist expected American class divisions to grow until they resembled the class divisions in Great Britain. That was, for Federalists, the natural order. Unfortunately about 90% of the voters were farmers, and as the right to vote was extended, farmers and other ordinary folk began to win elections. The Federalist Party vanished. Or maybe not.

Romney's Apology

SJG sent me to view THE ONION, which had prepared an apology for Mite Romney to deliver. It went something like this: "First and foremost, I would like to offer a heartfelt apology to all the whores, junkies, bums, and grime-covered derelicts out there who make up nearly half our nation. Let me assure you that I in no way meant to offend any of the putrid-smelling barefoot masses. My campaign is not about dividing the nation, but about bringing all sides together--the rich, elegant members of the upper class, as well as the 47 percent who are covered in flies and eat directly from back-alley dumpsters."  (A recent poll suggests that most Republicans now agree that Romney could improve his public speaking if he hires as a coach  Mr. Clint Eastwood.)

The Corporate News

Unions exist to represent people who would otherwise be powerless wage slaves in our economic system. Unions are actively fought by those who prefer that ordinary Americans be powerless. Among those trying to destroy unions here in Sonoma County, north of San Francisco, is our local daily newspaper, THE PECKERWOOD DEMOCRAT, owned by some cracker down in Florida. In today's paper (Sunday), the lead editorial argues that the County Supervisors should not require large county contracts to contain agreements that tie workers to union benefits.

Such contracts "are unfair, pure and simple," the corporate newspaper tells us. They are unfair because such contracts discriminate against corporations that treat powerless employees badly.  And, as Mute Romney puts it, "Corporations are people, my friend." Corporations are people, but carpenters are mere work units to be manipulated by efficiency experts. 

In the 1950s we called people like Romney efficiency experts and feared them. Today they are known as vulture capitalists, and they specialize in pecking the jobs out of this country. 

The Smirking Brooks

Several of my progressive friends harbor respect for David Brooks. I can say this much. Brooks is an intellectual, which is hard to find among the Teabaggers. He's not a Teabagger, of course, just a member of the Teabagger party. The problem is that, just as there are inferior dentists, there are inferior intellectuals. Brooks, George Wills--the list is short--have standing because in the Teabagger Party they have no competition.

Now Brooks has predicted that Romney will smash President Obama in the debates. We can now test whether Brooks is, as I suspect, a smirking but intellectual idiot. We will all see the debates.

Here is my take. In the Republican debates, Romney was either dully robotic or downright weird, offering to bet ten thousand dollars etc. He seemed unable to guess how voters might respond to the remarks he blurted out. Against the weakest field of nutters possible, Romney won no one over. Supported by towers of cash, he became merely the last fool standing.  Now he's doing to smash Obama? Or is Brooks a smirking idiot?

Leo Carillo

One of our promising and very young country supervisors, Efron Carillo, was arrested last week in San Diego (!) for knocking down some dude outside a bar in the tough part of town. The facts aren't in yet. So far it sounds like Carillo was defending some women from unpleasantness. More like Leo Carillo than Efron Carillo. Anyway, so far it doesn't seem like a major event to me. I did that kind of stuff when I was young, and no one cared. I would suggest to Supervisor Carillo that bar hopping leads to problems. . . .

Somewhere down there Leo Carillo's old ranch is now a state park.

Voting for President

Before voting for President, I remind myself of several related matters.  (1) Of the 44 Presidents elected in the United States, 44 of them have been supporters of capitalism. That happens because this is a capitalist country with voters who prefer capitalism. Our next President will be a supporter of capitalism. Those surprised that President Obama supported capitalism might want to read more American political history.  (2) In examining the candidates for President, I start by eliminating those who have no chance to win.  I refuse to cast symbolic votes for losers when people will live or die by the outcome. For example, the elevation of George W. Bush to the Presidency doomed many Iraqis. (3) It is true that my state will support President Obama whether I vote or not, but if I am going to participate in the system at all, I intend to do the right thing. (4) I will vote for the viable candidate who will do the least harm to others. 

Sometimes this process yields three viable candidates to consider, but this time it produced only two, Barack Obama and Mute Romney. One of them will be our next President. I'm going to rate them both in ten areas.

1. Ability to Resist Sociopathic Tendencies

Obama seems good in this area despite being aloof and ungrateful for his support from the Left. I'm going to give him an 8.  Mute Romney likes to fire people and has little to no empathy for dogs or men, but he hasn't murdered anyone or beaten his charmless obedient wife. I'll give him a 2.

2.  Approves of Torturing Prisoners

Obama has banned some forms of torture: 5 points. Romney has vowed to restore the right to torture if he is elected. But he probably won't use the rack: 1 point.

3. Expertise in Foreign Policy

Obama has restored fairly good relations with our former allies, and he is acceptable to Russia and China. Mute Romney likes to insult China and Russia. He is familiar with Swiss bank accounts, Cayman Island mail drops, bets on the Irish sweepstakes and the taste of eel sushi. Around foreigners Mute likes to talk with a gold spoon in his mouth. Obama 6, Romney 1. 

4. Thirst for Wars 

While Obama has ended the war against Iraq and will end the war against Afghanistan, he continues the policy of interfering militarily in the Middle East. Mute Romney is fervently calling for an attack on Iran. Obama 4, Romney 0.

5.  Health Care/Women's Rights

ObamaCare, while it isn't Medicare or single payer,  has saved thousands of lives, and the President supports a woman's right to choose. Romney is very strongly committed to forcing women to bear unwanted children and to repealing ObamaCare while reintroducing--he lies--the parts he knows are popular. Romney lies and lies. On this issue, Romney is probably best compared to a hot sack of wet chicken droppings.  Obama 6, Romney 0.

6.  Gay Rights

Obama integrated gays into the armed forces and now supports gay marriage. Romney's position is unclear, but his church, in which he is a bishop, leads the attacks on gay rights.   Obama 9, Romney 0.

7. Supreme Court Appointments

Obama likes centrist women. Romney will appoint delusional males struggling with their sexual identity. Obama 7, Romney 1.

8. Latinos and Undocumented Workers

President Obama has deported many Latinos (and few Irish), but he has also made it legal for some young Latinos who grew up in this country to establish residence. He's looking for a humane solution. Mute Romney distinguished himself  recently with a plan to make Latinos so desperate that they "self deport." Obama 6, Romney 2.

9.  Voter Suppression

Romney's party has passed many laws to suppress the votes of people of color, young people, and poor people, all of whom tend to vote Democratic. Obama encourages people to vote. Obama 10, Romney 0.

10.  Taxation and the economy

Not much is at stake here. Romney's plan is to cut the taxes of the top 1% while raising taxes on the middle class. The effect would be to tip much of the world into another Great Depression. Obama's plan is to increase taxes on the top 1% and cut the deficit. Obama 6, Romney 0.  Romney is an economic drooling idiot. He drools all the way down his red tie.

Totals: Obama 67, Romney, 7

This race turned out be much closer than I anticipated, but I do have to pick a winner, and it will be President Obama, although he is not a revolutionary.

    

FOX vs. Clinton

I never look at FOX news, but tonight, out of curiosity, I tuned in for a few minutes after the wonderful Clinton speech (and I don't like Clinton). What I saw on FOX astonished me. They agreed Clinton's speech had been such a sad failure that most viewers probably left in the middle for a more interesting channel. Charles Krauthammer, supposedly a literate man, opined that Clinton had made the speech to sabotage President Obama, getting even for Hillary's loss four years before. The other FOX people nodded with expressions more suitable for Germans crouching in the snow outside of Stalingrad. If that is the most realistic thinking the Republicans can come up with, God help them.

What I Don't Know

I'm one of many founders of the revived Healdsburg Peace Project, which came back to life a few months before George W.  Bush attacked Iraq for no good reason. We have held a vigil on the Healdsburg Plaza every Thursday for the last ten years, not a bad record. Currently we are out there trying to end our part in the endless war in Afghanistan and to prevent the war the George Romney is calling for, an attack on Iran for no reason. But I'm not a pacifist. I served in the army. I am opposed to initiating wars of aggression and to risking the lives of our troops in the hope of increasing corporate profits.

Anyway, last night I was at a meeting and discussion, in which it became clear that some of our members had missed the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq that had taken place almost a year back. In other words, those of us opposed to the war against Iraq had finally won, but certain members of the Peace Project hadn't noticed. As far as I could tell, there were two reasons for this. Some people never listen to the news or read newspapers or magazines. I'd say that these people seem more cheerful than average. There is a second group of people who have heard the news but don't believe it. They believe that America faked the moon landing, lost World War II, blew up the Twin Towers, and has hundreds of thousands of troops still fighting in Iraq under assumed names. This view might seem bleak, but they appear to take satisfaction in knowing grim things I do not know.  I hope someone is studying this phenomenon.

Our Gutless Press

Sonoma County has excellent wine, countless Democratic voters and one daily newspaper, The Press Democrat. In the last ten years the PD has endorsed the most pro-corporation Democrat in each race, unless a Republican who had a good chance was running, which seldom happened. The PD was owned by the NY  Times.

Today the PD is owned by Halifax Media, a rightwing Florida corporation. To block further endorsements of centrist Democrats, the powers that be have decided the newspaper will no longer endorse anyone. No doubt Halifax would like to endorse Republicans, but that would definitely hamper newspaper sales in this area. No endorsements is the ticket for now.