The Death Of An Empire leads to questions about whether it is really a slow death or a rebirth.
More than a few people have asked for my two cents on current events and what I think will or won’t happen and it occurs me there was a time when I built a blog on my political commentary and thought.
Much of it was more measured and balanced than now but I can’t say whether it was because my favorite shmata kept me warm and centered or if there was something else.
It was before the time I referred to in the previous post and I was a different man than I am now. I think I like this version better because I am more myself than ever before so turn on the music and let the words fly freely.
What Happens Now
We’re two years into the presidency and a day past midterms.
The president called the midterms a success and then excoriated the people on his team who lost by blaming them for not being more like him or following his lead more closely.
None of this is surprising because he feasts on his cult of personality and follows a very simple playbook.
Attack, attack, attack and never take credit for mistakes, malfeasance or missteps.
So there never was a question of how he would respond in public so what we do is take a look not at what he said but what he did.
No surprise in his forcing Jeff Sessions out and replacing him with someone he considers a more loyal lapdog.
What caught my eye was his fight with Jim Acosta and the lie he used to strip Jim of his press credentials.
This isn’t posturing, it is a testing of the water.
This is him testing the response from the public and those not locked into his base.
The base hasn’t shown a hint of buyer’s remorse for outrageous behavior and there is little doubt that they won’t celebrate this and cheer him on.
So we circle back to see who outside of the media will take a stand. Who will oppose the president and who will support them.
The lack of opposition has been what bothers me the most. The acceptance of boorish behavior and bad policies demonstrates a lack of moral fiber and political courage.
I have no tax benefits from his cut but my 401k is larger than it was. That pleases me but I would gladly take less for better leadership than this sad sack.
I am not so easily bought.
When You Live Alone
More music plays and it reminds me of living alone. I never planned on doing so during this time of life but sometimes things go a different way than you imagine.
That is how I ended up being able to say I have lived alone for about two years of the past ten. It affected me in multiple ways and still d0es.
I ate most of my meals by myself and spent the majority of my time alone so I grew accustomed to a certain level 0f quiet and of never having to ask what others want to eat, watch or do.
This is not to say I lost my social skills because I did not but I have been told my ability to sit and say nothing is disconcerting.
It is not uncommon for me not to notice the silence but I definitely notice the noise and chaos.
****
This was the third election in Texas I have voted in.
Some neighbors have told me they can’t understand how I could feel comfortable voting in California because they have bought into the xenophobic BS of the bad president.
What they don’t know is how strange it is to see people campaigning in the polling places or how foreign all the signage is.
Back home that stuff wasn’t allowed so close to the polls so you walked in with far less chaos and noise.
I expect taking back the house to be a good thing in the long run but in the short term I expect to see some shenanigans and nonsense from all sides.
POTUS is going to test the depths of presidential power and we’re going to see whether the dems offer a thoughtful and smart opposition.
It is going to have to be more strategic than we have seen and I am hopeful we’ll see better leadership out of that side than before.
I became an Independent a number of years back because I began to doubt the sincerity of far too many on both sides.
The partisanship is hurting all of us.
Next Steps
I am waiting to hear from the doc and to go over a few things. Waiting to see if those changes will have the positive impact I think they will.
Got another ten days before I get to play son in Texas and show off all the places I have discovered in the almost a year since she was last here time.
Felt older when my niece turned 17 and I realized just how long it has been since being called Uncle Josh sounded novel.
I still like hearing it, but it is not as exotic as it once was and that is ok.
Came damn close to picking up the phone to call someone and say let’s get coffee but didn’t do it. Maybe I will later on, maybe not.
Granted the not one, not two but 12 work emails that hit as I was thinking about it impacted things.
Overall it was a slower email day but those were thick with information and action items. Had I received two it would have resulted in significant amounts of work, but this is/wasn’t almost overload.
The net effect is positive and their being in my inbox is an indication I have accomplished much of what I set out to do, but still it was a lot.
I feel a little bit like I was rocking a giant boulder back and forth and that I finally got it moving, now I must keep it from rolling back upon me.
Otherwise I’ll be the one in need of making like the phoenix.
