Watching the national Democratic Party is like watching a play by Samuel Beckett: two bums stagger around a dead tree for 3 hours (6 hours?). The dramatic moments are when one of the bums – the one with a bad prostate – goes off stage to pee 8 times (19 times?). What are these bums waiting for? An issue? A candidate? Godot? Who knows?
The same goes for mainstream media. CNN, as only one example, spent 10 hours covering the Roseanne Barr “story” and just 30 minutes on Puerto Rico’s calamitous non-recovery from hurricane Maria. If CNN isn’t careful, it – and its viewers – could end up as sullenly asinine as the World According to Fox News.
Television news has transmuted into Reality TV because it’s cheaper to produce than real journalism. That’s why we get Roseanne Barr and Samantha Bee 24/7. But should we expect more from political parties responsible for safeguarding democratic government? Or, should we be satisfied with Reality TV Government?
Donald Trump is now the character, soul, agenda, and the measure of decency of the Republican Party. He is a master of Reality TV Government. He throws a ball and the media – and Democrats – fetch it. He throws again, and they fetch. He throws…
Instead of fetching the Commander in Chief’s existential ball, Democrats need to look at their role in the evisceration of working-class incomes. Globalization is certainly a factor, but Democrats have controlled the Executive Branch of government for 16 of the last 26 years. In Bill Clinton’s first presidential year, a meatpacker in Storm Lake, Iowa, made $16 an hour, plus a full range of benefits. Today, the same worker makes… $16 an hour, with marginal benefits. There are reasons why working people don’t buy the Democratic Party’s egalitarian pretentions anymore.
If Democrats, and Republicans for that matter, really believe in family values, they can start by making sure working families earn enough to buy health insurance, save for retirement and the kiddie’s education, and still have enough money left over to put a roof over their heads and at least one chicken in a non-subsidized pot.
People can use programs, but they need money.
Republicons have controlled congress for 179 years since 1837, to 75 years of Democratic control on Congress. That’s more false equivalency. This is why Republicons win, Democrats help them.
Great insights!