Category: Politics and Government

Joe Biden Was Right All Along

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The First Words from Joe Biden as a Candidate Are at the Heart of This Election

Take Note

 

Political campaigns are full of forgettable phrases. They also can contain words for the ages. As it turns out, Joe Biden uttered two of the latter when he declared his candidacy. They proved to be the defining issues of this campaign and what we will be as a nation going forward.

History rarely puts that large a stamp on a few words, but it did this time. If Biden wins, it will be largely because most Americans came to agree with him.

 

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So, There Was This Other Convention

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It Was an Interesting Experience, If Not Altogether Surprising

 

Why Would Someone Watch That Thing?

I committed early on to watch the entire Republican convention. As it turned out, that was only a 1-day affair. They closed out their business on Monday by unanimously (shocking!) nominating Trump and Pence. While they were thinking about it, they decided they did not need a platform. They just stand for whatever Donald wants on a given day. And so, they adjourned. The following 3 evenings of TV were basically an ad.

So, a lot of people asked why I bothered to watch all this.

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Hey, How About That Democratic Convention?!

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More Than a Few Surprises, Mostly Good Ones

Anticipation and Apprehension

I suppose we were all more than a little curious as to how this thing might go. We have all been to enough Zoom meetings of late to know the digital, virtual format has some advantages and loads of opportunities for misfires.

So, a lot of people were hoping for the best but feared this could be a sterile, dull event. Turns out, they need not have worried.

A Lot Went Very Right – Here Are My Top 10

Time Limits,

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So, What About This Post Office Mess?

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  1. Yeah, Its Bad. But the Side Effects are Really —  Interesting

A lot has been written about what is happening to the postal service and the potential effect on the election. Let’s see if we can drill down to what we know and what can be done.

Did We See This Coming?

Well, yeah – sort of. The alarm bells have been sounding for several months about the underfunding of the USPS. Just to refresh our memory, the main financial issue is a really weird pension system funding requirement imposed years ago that is unlike anything any other entity has to finance.

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A Road Trip Through America and Profiles on Unaffiliated Voters

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Two Different Studies Paint an Interesting Picture of America

I. Something New, Something Old

 I read an interesting, and rather upbeat, article this week by two writers who spent several months and over 20,000 miles of travel talking to Americans. These two fellows came from different starting points. One is a conservative, the other liberal. Part of the purpose of their journey was to see if each could come to a better understanding of the other’s perspective. I will tell you up front, that they largely succeeded in that goal. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/08/06/americans-more-united-than-our-political-rhetoric-indicates-column/3297493001/

They still disagreed on a lot but came to understand why they differed and found some room to respect the other viewpoint. 

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What Do the Republican Party and Black Lives Matter Have in Common?

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In a Surprising Way, More Than You Might Think

 

Remember When Black Lives Matter (BLM) Started?

Or, do you remember at least when the BLM movement first caught your attention? I remember when I first started paying attention. I bet my reaction was the same as a lot of people. Something along the lines of yes, indeed, we have a sorry racial history in this country, and we are way overdue to address it in so many ways.

But, I thought, white supremacy? That seems a bit overstated,

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A Few Random Observations. Do They Seem the same to you, too?

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Four Short Reflections on Some Widely Different Topics

 

Seen Much News Lately?

Last week was one of those (another one!) that just seemed all over the board in terms of news and matters of interest. Here are my takeaways for your consideration. By the way, I find the process of looking back over the week as the weekend dawns a useful thing to do. So much happens in so many directions these days, it is helpful to look in the rear view mirror to assure ourselves, as much as we can, that (A) We didn’t miss anything really important and (B) We take the opportunity to assess the priorities – decide what out of all this mess really counts.

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Joe Biden Will Have a Lot to Fix – Communicating the Plan May be Priority One

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Lay Out a Communications Plan to Make It All Happen

We Have Seen This Movie Before

We know the pattern. A new administration accomplishes a lot. But people feel more could have been done. Come midterm elections, the president’s party takes a beating.

Sometimes that beating includes losing control of one or both houses of Congress, which pretty well shuts down major progress for the rest of the first term.

How to avoid that fate? Much depends, of course, on how the down-ticket elections go. If Biden wins and the Democrats have control of both houses of Congress,

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Portland, Seattle…. Where Are We

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So Many Different Stories are Mixed in All This. It’s Worth Keeping Track

What’s Happening on the Ground

I have written in this space before that Portland does have a history of problematic protests. If memory serves, this is the case in Seattle as well, although to a much lesser degree. I mention this not to besmirch the movements taking place there, but only to call out that there are mixed in these communities who welcome chaos and violence.

A fight with federal forces that draws blood would be fine with them. That they would play right into Trump’s hands is likely irrelevant to them.

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In One Week, Two Very Different Views of America

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Which One Do You Think is Worthy? Which Path Shall We Choose?

 

Our World is a Lesser Place Today

Much has been said about the passing of John Lewis. Much should be said. I come from a background wherein the word hero is used sparingly. I know a lot of people I like or admire. Those I call heroes could be counted by hand, with some fingers left over. John Lewis makes that count. He was among the best of us, and he constantly called out for the best within us.

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