Medicare For All

Having turned 65 last September I can now laze around enjoying my first entitlement from Big Government, Medicare. It definitely has sapped most of the initiative the Free Enterprise system had previously installed and I can't wait to get my social security check this coming birthday so I can stop innovating altogether. I can be a walking moral hazard, waiting for others to do things for me as I sloth around.

But seriously, for the Democratic Socialists to place Medicare for All as their priority policy position seems like an attempt to make "democratic" capitalism more bearable, rather than less. The assumption is that the masses will see that making health insurance a public provision will cause them to question other for-profit sectors, leading them to question the profit motive altogether. Then we can have some form of democratic socialism. But is there any evidence to support this hypothesis? Have social democracies in other parts of the world advanced to true worker ownership of the means of production?

I think such social provision has allowed capital to expand into new sectors and gain increased legitimacy in the mind of workers. Along with the Google-ization of the workplace (relaxed atmosphere, good wages, worker buy-in, etc) this is capital's revolutionary ability to morph and insinuate itself into every cultural and psychological niche.

So if your day is starting to go a little too well you can check out the article on global coal development and then read some of the comments people have posted. The extent to which people can pull the wool over their own eyes is truly remarkable. And along with the ideological rubble there is the total lack of agency; everyone looking to someone else to solve the problem or encouraging us to vote for the right candidate. I'm sure the folks at the Aspen Institute have a plan.

Storm of Progress

I woke the other morning from a vague vision/ dreamscape of Paul Klee's Angelus Novus and Walter Benjamin's prophetic take from his Thesis on the Philosophy of History. Weird, right? I hadn't read the thing in years and then barely understood the basic premise. But then I realized I had been reading about the California fires and wondered if my subconscious was trying to work something out. Benjamin writes:

"a storm is blowing in from Paradise, it has caught in his (Klee;s Angel) wings with such a violence that the angel can no longer close them."

This is the storm of progress and now a whole town and dozens, perhaps hundreds of corpses turned to ash, are part of the "wreckage" piling up at the angel's feet. The wind is that generated by a fire storm so fierce everyone remains stunned just trying to imagine it. We are in what the prophetic thinker called "a moment of danger", a place where "the state of emergency is not the exception but the rule." These fires and floods will be a first world problem but it is unlikely to lead to the kind of food riots we will see in poorer parts of the world. I agree with Benjamin's prescription that "it is our task to bring about a real state of emergency", one which threatens the ruling order.

I really have trouble, therefore, with this emphasis climate groups place on the fossil fuel industry. Framing the conflict as one between them and their customers is a way not to have to confront the actual system of production and its perverse logics, logics which go way beyond a particular economic sector. Are we to believe that it was only Exxon scientists who made the connection between emissions and global warming? That's absurd on its face. Do we expect the corporations to do anything but dissemble and lobby and produce slick campaigns and front groups?


Then there are the true believers who still think the system can deliver justice:
"The central demand of Tuesday's "Green New Deal Day of Action" is for Democratic lawmakers to champion Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D-N.Y.) proposed Green New Deal select committee and "create a climate plan in line with what science and justice demand."
So far they have nine congresspeople out of how many? 535? How much time will they put into this?

Going Nowhere Fast

The oil industry is in a state of incredible volatility right now with last month's high price of crude suddenly crashing. Record amounts are being produced by the 'majors' USA, Saudi Arabia and Russia with other OPEC partners also going great guns. What's goin on? Geo-political intrigue? Drunken speculators, total chaos, a sign of America's new-found greatness? Who the fuck knows. I thought we were supposed to be running out of oil but they are pumping it as fast as they can. Whatever.

Speaking of crude, Bill McKibben ( can't help it, more Bill Bashing) has a piece in the NY Review of Books where he re-states the standard, worn-out claim that the climate crisis can be traced back to "the power of the fossil fuel industry". And then he ironically goes on to say "we need a major shift in our thinking". This is his idea of a "major shift": turn to "civil society" to "pressure" the policy makers. Whoa! So outside of the box! And so "in an era when politics seems at least temporarily broken" he imagines a "Green New Deal". I suspect this looks a lot like Norway with solar panels, a return to Keynesian "common sense" and a touch of RE-distribution.

But let's not get too nostalgic for a past that never was; the New Deal didn't end the depression (that took war) and it depended on a top-down command and control process, your basic Leviathan, with minimal popular participation. It also saved capitalism from some revolutionary forces which were building real steam. It was "social containment to avoid 'a world transformed'". Which fits into Mc Kibben's agenda as well.

Liberals continue to believe "policy makers", to "provide incentives", thereby managing a transition without a lot of upheaval and turmoil. That ain't how it works. It's a con that they get taken on over and over due to willful blindness and a lack of imagination and desire. Remember: don't be afraid to want what you truly desire.

Arm the Jews

Special Arm the Jews sale; buy any three weapons and we will donate one AR 15 to any synagogue of your choice! Comes fully loaded with extra clips and instruction manual! Better Armed than Harmed!

What we really need in times like these is for Jon Stewart and perhaps Michelle Obama to hold a Return to Sanity Rally. They could plead for some civility and decorum, for rational debate and respect for opposing opinions. Mixed with a little ironic detachment and a smirk or two, of course. Because the thing is, the Republican base understands it is just entertainment, a crazy reality show you get to participate in. The Dems still believe "politics" are some solemn, sacred ritual full of profound meaning. Chris Hedges kind of gets it:

"The efforts by the Democratic Party and much of the press, including CNN and The New York Times, to discredit Trump, as if our problems are embodied in him, are futile. The smug, self-righteousness of this crusade against Trump only contributes to the national reality television show that has replaced journalism and politics."

Hedges tries to explain this in terms of "the cult" but I believe it might be more productive to think of this appeal in terms of joissance. Of course it is horribly tragic that Trump's fans can't see the degradation at the root of their pleasure, that they can't imagine anything beyond spectating. But at least they don't pray for "sanity" to be restored.

And here I am imagining Alex Jones interviewing Steve Bannon and the minister of the Westboro Baptist Church on the subject of the recent Brazilian elections. And wondering how how the #Me too movement might explain all the women supporters of the chauvinist victor, or Trumps adoring female fans.

Grow The Economy

A comrade convinced me to participate in a "discussion" he organized and it was a truly painful ordeal. He had invited local Representatives to our state legislature and a couple of wanna-bees, along with folks who work in social services. These folks were hurt by state budget cuts and would tell their stories. Sounds interesting so far, right? My comrade had expected this confrontation to somehow shame the Republican (who is chairwoman of Appropriations) but instead we all got a lesson in how "ideological rubble" has totally buried US society and any sane notions of political-economy. We are left with a ritualized performance of absurdity and confusion which is almost impossible to watch unfold.

My comrade, who calls himself a socialist but is willing to rely on liberal arguments in mixed company, actually seemed to believe there exists some magic logic which will instantly illuminate the contradictions in Conservative ideology, like Tiny Tim getting Scrooge to "see the light". He felt himself capable of rhetorical ju jitsu which would expose the paucity of the oppositions argument. He also believes in the old Patrick Leahy model of "reaching across the aisle", of pragmatically offering concessions and compromise, as if it were actual politics and not theater. Man, did he get his ass handed to him.

After hearing the sob stories of social workers, of the hellish crisis which is the everyday world of poor and damaged people (and the people who try to help them) the Conservatives simply did their Newt Gingrich impersonations- No New Taxes, Stop Enabling People, Tough Love Works, Entitlements and Bloated Bureaucracy and Accountability and Job Creators, you know the litany and they have it memorized word for word. What can a bleeding heart liberal say in response? Why, he can only nod and concede all those points and then ask: well, what is your solution?

And here is the where the magic part of the show begins: Grow The Economy, stupid! Lift All Boats! I keep looking at the clock, nine o clock and I haven't eaten dinner. Fuck this Spectacle. All agree that of course we need "responsible" growth but neither Amazon nor Boeing are moving here so the Repubs like mining and timber and my stomach is growling and the Dems like tourism and my head will soon explode if I don't get up and leave. And my comrade continues his social justice non-profit roadshow to the next town or village. Come Back Woody Guthrie!

Democracy In Action

As reported in The Hill:
"Polling continually shows that voters rank climate far down on their list of priorities. And although energy prices are lower than they were a decade or so ago, few lawmakers want to be responsible for significant increases in consumers’ costs or job losses that could accompany new policies.

Democrats, who are now favored to seize the House, have crafted their campaign message around issues like increasing working-class wages and lowering the cost of prescription drugs. They think the kitchen-table agenda will resonate more effectively, particularly in conservative-leaning districts where voters tend to be wary of the economic impact of climate legislation."

The first problem of course is basing your strategy on "polling" rather than any ethical considerations. I'm sure that polls would show me that Hugo Chavez was a dictator and that Saddam Husein was stockpiling WMD's. And that Adam and Eve rode dinosaurs. Whatever. I am constantly told that as an organizer I have to "meet people where they are at" which is code for clueless, center-right, and incoherent. And yes, many folks are filled with wacky information, but they are probably also feeling anxious and abused and eager to hear something that might sound half-way candid and honest. And radical. There is no way I can know "where they are at" through some momentary, cursory exchange, much less through some cleverly worded poll.

So the second problem is that if these Dems, who have been wringing their hands about the "huge deficit", do in fact "seize the House", they will cave on climate. As they themselves will tell you, the only way to shrink a deficit is to grow the economy and to do that you have to frack and drill and mine and burn as "a transition phase" to a greener capitalism. And with their higher wages, the working class will be in no hurry to see anyone throw a wrench in the gears. With cheaper prescription drugs, us old people will say "I guess the system has self-corrected itself" and with our savings we can take a cruise ship to Jamaica.

So it is finally time for Extinction Rebellion. Let's fill the jails (as a first step anyway) backed with the explicit threat of more drastic action.

Red Baiting

"You ain't done nothin if you aint been called a Red."

Trump's speechwriter published an op-ed in USA Today claiming "the new Democrats are radical socialists who want to model America's economy after Venezuela." I wish! This type of red-baiting is standard procedure here in the home of the brave and you can just imagine the angst of the DLC centrist Democrats. "Government run health care is just the beginning..." The Donald warns in the time-worn "slippery slope" argument. Starts with some free aspirin and next thing you know you're in a Siberian gulag.

It would be the perfect moment to break out the guillotine and say "Damn right rich fucks, and we're comin for you first" but don't expect anything but snivelling denials and finger pointing from the Dems. The Washington Post put their fact checkers on the case, proudly de-bunking The Donald's absurd argument, but then felt compelled to add their own vicious slander, claiming: "Venezuela is collapsing after years of near-dictatorship and squandering of oil wealth..." Because kicking a poor Latin American country when it is down is how we roll in the land of the free.

Don't be surprised if they initiate something truly original like The House Committee on Un-American Activities.