“Listen to the people who are talking about how to fix what’s wrong, not the ones who just work people into a snit over the problems. Listen to the people who have ideas about how to fix things, not the ones who just blame others.” — Molly Ivins (1944-2007)
In the spirit of being thankful, earlier this week, in a state of half-sleep, I was fully awakened at 5am by the crunch of gravel in our driveway just as the motion light in our carport popped on. Some guy had opened Connie’s car door just as I yelled through the window “Hey! Get the fuck outta here!” Maybe he was stoned out of his mind but he more or less just walked away, out into the fog. (A rare foggy morning in Tucson, well lit due to the moon) It just happened to be one of those times, once or twice a year, when we forgot to lock and bar her car. The guy should buy a lottery ticket. This woke Connie up so we both went out to assess any damages. There wasn’t anything in the car worth taking, just a bit pissed off that we need to be on alert for assholes.
So I am thankful that this was mostly a non-event. And I am also thankful for my incredible wife, my family, friends, and many acquaintances, a roof over my head, a studio to work in, health insurance, indoor plumbing, food in the fridge, air-conditioning, the electrical grid, my old beater vehicles that still run, my health, which is good enough to continue my work in the musical and visual art realms, and for my comrades with whom I make music.
More thanks include you, who are now reading this, for indulging my weekly attempts to make sense of some of the happenings around us. I don’t work all that hard at it as I’m mostly cobbling together words from sources I’d be reading anyway. Oops, gave away my secret.
In that light I’ve heard discouragement moving forward towards next year’s elections. I go on and on about just voting blue but next year will be the most important time to actually do so. And to not vote if you’re upset about Biden and Israel, Biden and the economy, Biden and his age…is to hand a vote to the raving orangeman who desperately wants to be the supreme ruler. You thought Bush was the decider...
In regards to the highly complex Israel-Hamas war, Axios gives us a perspective that’s worth a read. Zachary Basu writes that most that the ingredients for success in foreign diplomacy — nuance, compromise, patience — often are deeply incompatible with domestic political demands. While Biden has taken a political beating at home, he and top U.S. officials spent weeks working furiously behind the scenes to facilitate a hostage deal. Publicly, the president has remained staunchly supportive of Israel as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza has soared — dismissing calls for a ceasefire and alienating core constituencies within his own party. But privately, or behind the scenes, Biden ramped up pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the course of 13 phone calls to pause the fighting in order to secure the release of hostages and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. Basu wrote that between the lines, Biden's unequivocal support for Israel and blunt refusal to endorse a ceasefire infuriated Democratic activists, but likely gave him leverage to turn the screws on Netanyahu in private. The nature of politics means missteps like that ultimately may have more of an impact on Biden's approval rating than the behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts that led to this week's breakthrough.
In the meantime, Jill "every-four-years-I-show-up" Stein is once again running for president as a third party. She apparently never got the memo that Coalition building in politics starts at the local level, moves on to state level public service, and then to the federal government. Where you been lurking, girl? You know you’re just going to dilute Democratic voting. Here’s just one regretful voter, Steven Singer, a teacher and education advocate, lamenting his choice: “I wish there is something I could do to go back in time and change the results of that day. I wish there was something I could do to stop Donald Trump from being elected President. And though I did not vote for her, I would do anything to have Hillary Clinton defeat him. On that day, though, I voted for Jill Stein.” That election year, while winning just 1.4m votes nationwide, Stein won more votes in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan than Trump’s narrow victory margins, prompting many analysts to conclude that her presence on the ballot was decisive in drawing progressive voters away from Clinton.
On a positive note, Politico reported that after more than a dozen years of Republican control over its mayoralty, Democrat Brandon Sakbun, a 27-year-old political newcomer, was elected as the youngest mayor in in Terre Haute, Indiana, population 58,335. In the last 130-plus years, Vigo County, home to Terre Haute, has cemented itself as a key bellwether county for the nation, voting for the winning presidential candidate in all elections but three, one of those being 2020. While Indiana as a whole has backed only a handful of Democratic presidential candidates in the last century, it has elected Democrats to Congress and the governorship on occasion, and Democrats have enjoyed moderate success in its cities.
And Bolts lists ten under-the-radar elections worth keeping an eye on; Kentucky Secretary of state, Louisiana Secretary of state, Maine Question 8, Michigan Municipal referendums on ranked choice voting, Mississippi Secretary of state, Pennsylvania Supreme court justice, Pennsylvania Bucks County commission, Pennsylvania Berks County commission, Virginia Legislative control, and Washington King County director of elections.
OK, enough of that…most importantly you may be craving some live music this weekend! Tonight (Friday) I’ll be manning the tubs with Kevin Pakulis in celebrating the 12th anniversary of Monterey Court here in the Ol’ Pueblo. 7-10. Tomorrow night we’ll venture to Tubac Jack’s in Tubac, AZ from 6:30-9:30. Then, of course, ‘church’ on Sunday at Borderlands Brewing Company. We hit at 2:30 but the place is filling up earlier and earlier as the snowbirds are back in town. AND, next Thursday, the Morpholinos will be back at their monthly Monterey Court gig, 6:30-9. Hope to see you at one or more of these gigs!
And lastly, I’m thankful that Connie and I broke bread with longtime friends yesterday; Judy Browder, Mitzi Cowell, and Karl Hoffmann.
And now…
Thankful for your gibberish and the reminder that there once was a brilliant outspoken woman named Molly Ivins that walked among us. ❣️May her memory be a blessing.