Discussion of what might have contributed to the revolution. Includes information about current events and some historical events.

#213 Republican Leaders Have No Balls…and Two Strikes

14 Sunday Aug 2016

Posted by Jordan Abel in Causes of the Revolution, Societal Issues

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First-time readers, this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020). Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution. More about Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1. List and general description of entries to date. Annual assessment whether Revolution plausible.

Note: most characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations. Profile of characters. You’ll catch on quickly. Thanks for your time and interest…and comments.

Scene: Jordan’s office in Washington, DC

Gelly: “Jordan, I was cleaning out a filing cabinet and I found this op-ed piece you wrote in 2016. This get published?”

Jordan: “Yes, but the article never generated as much response as I was hoping for.”

Gelly: “Why not?”

Jordan: “The publication date was in August 2016. At the time Trump was making so many outlandish statements so often than the press had a hard time keeping up. There was little time to reflect on the content of the article – what Republican leaders should be doing to counter the Donald.”

Gelly: “So the real meat of this article was lost in all the noise, right?”

Jordan: “A lot of people were thinking the same thing that I wrote, especially some high-profile people in the Republican Party…and certainly some big donors. But not much was really said by leadership of the Republicans Party.”

Gelly: “Some Republicans seemed to take a stand against Trump – like the 50 or so national security people. And like the senator from Maine…”

Jordan: “…you mean Susan Collins?”

Gelly: “…that’s the one. The security group and the senator seemed to distance themselves from Trump.”

Jordan: “I think the security group did a good job in making their position clear. Others were less harsh and frankly less effective in their statements.”

Gelly: “Is that why you chose the title for the article?”

Jordan: “Yep. Think about it. The Senate Majority Leader and the Speaker of the House…combined they may have more influence than POTUS on what happens to the American people day to day…and neither of them would openly denounce Trump. What kind of leadership is that?”

Gelly: “Weren’t they just trying to protect their political careers?”

Jordan: “Gelly, you just nailed one of the key reasons why I think Republican leaders had no balls…and two strikes…in the 2016 presidential election.”

Gelly: “OK, what’d I nail?”

Jordan: “The term ‘political careers.’ Voters, most voters anyway, elect officials, Republicans and Democrats, to do what’s right for the country and right for the constituents.”

Gelly: “And not worry about their political career? But…”

Jordan: “Your term ‘but’ is right on. Too many politicians, especially Republicans in 2016, were looking out for their own butt.”

Gelly: “Were you saying that in 2016 Republican leaders covered their butt and had no balls? That’s not a very nice thing to say, Jordan.”

Jordan: “Whether nice or not doesn’t matter. If you’re to be an effective leader, then you have to provide an ethical path for others to follow. You can’t just hide and hope the problem goes away.”

Gelly: “Hiding reminds me of our dog when I was a kid. During a thunderstorm she would crawl underneath the bed, hiding from the storm.”

Jordan: “You dog story is a good one. When I wrote the article, Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan had, in effect, crawled underneath the bed and were hiding from the Trump thunderstorm.”

Gelly: “You think if McConnell and Ryan had taken a more of a leadership role re Trump, the outcome of the election would have changed?”

Jordan: “The outcome would have been the same. But the Republican Party would not have been so torn apart. After the election, the Republican Party looked more like Humpty Dumpty after the great fall. And the Party still hasn’t recovered fully.”

Gelly: “When you wrote the article do you think there was still time for McConnell and Ryan to demonstrate leadership instead of acting like a scared dog?”

Jordan: “There was time. Remember it was mid-August 2016. There were 2½ months until the election. The amount of time left to the election is why I added ‘…two strikes’ to the title of the article.”

Gelly: “So like baseball, even with two strikes, the batter can get a home run and win the game. Right?”

Jordan: “Right you are. Now, let’s go get a coffee.”

#209 The Blame Game (Part 1)

17 Sunday Jul 2016

Posted by Jordan Abel in Causes of the Revolution, Societal Issues

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Scene: Jordan’s office, Washington, DC.

Jordan: “Gelly, tell me all about the cruise to Alaska.”

Gelly: “We had a wonderful time. Lots of stunning scenery, great food…and even more fun to be with old friends again.”

Jordan: “What about pictures?”

Gelly: “Lots. But I’ll show you later. We’ve got work to do and I need to get caught up.”

Jordan: “Alright, just a couple more minutes. I hope you didn’t think too much about us when you were gone.”

Gelly: “Tried not to but the occasional topic at dinner was what goes on in Washington…”

Jordan: “…and you were considered the expert, right?”

Gelly: “Yes. What baffled our group were two things: (i) how politicians take positions that seem to be so out of touch with how most people think; (ii) all the finger-pointing. We ended up calling the finger-pointing ‘The Blame Game.’”

Jordan: “When you said ‘The Blame Game’ what popped into my head was the song ‘The Name Game’ by Shirley, Shirley…”

Gelly: “Shirley Ellis. ‘C’mon everybody! I said let’s play a game. I’ll betcha I could make a rhyme out of anybody’s name.”

Jordan: “How do you know that song…and who sung it? That was before your time.”

Gelly: “My mother had the record and a bunch of us played it over and over until we learned the words. Want me to sing some more?”

Jordan: “Not now, thanks. So your group thought too many individuals and groups were finger-pointing — blaming someone else for whatever went wrong.”

Gelly: “And the group thought the tipping point happened during the 2016 Presidential election. ‘The Blame Game’ seemed to reach new heights.”

Jordan: “You mean starting with the Donald? He seemed to blame everyone for everything.”

Gelly: “More than the Donald. Hillary wasn’t as bad as the Donald. Her comments seemed more like denial than blame. But what really troubled our group was all the blame directed toward police…and then the assassination of five police officers in Dallas. People in our group were livid with the vicious verbal attacks on police by the ‘Black Lives Matter’ group.”

Jordan: “Why was your group so angry?”

Gelly: “All people remembered hearing from ‘Black Lives Matter’ was cops are bad. No one in Black Lives Matter seemed to ask, ‘Gee, I wonder why cops seem to arrest proportionately more blacks than whites?’ The claim always seemed to be cops are racists, cops are using racial profiling…always a reason to blame someone else.”

Jordan: “But never a question from Black Lives Matter about personal responsibility?”

Gelly: “Exactly. Let’s not be naïve. Every organization has some bad apples, the police included. But I cannot believe cops just go around arresting people for fun. There has to be some suspicion.”

Jordan: “What did your group say about efforts to eliminate racism?”

Gelly: “Another let’s-not-be-naïve issue. Racism has been around for thousands of years, and will likely be around for a few thousand more. People need to realize racism is not going away. If you don’t believe it, read the book of Exodus.”

Jordan: “Egyptians enslaved the Jews over 5,000 years ago…and still don’t like Jews. At every Shabbat and holiday service congregants are reminded by the rabbis that our ancestors were once slaves and do not treat other people the same way. Next item, what’d your group say about profiling?”

Gelly: “When the topic of profiling came up, someone took out an iPad and asked if anyone at the table used Google for a search engine.”

Jordan: “Of course everyone said ‘yes’ to Google. What was the follow-on question?”

Gelly: ”Has anyone ever noticed the ads on Google and other websites seem to be tailored just for you?”

Jordan: “Ahh, now that you mention it.”

Gelly: “I think we began to understand anyone who uses the internet is being profiled.”

Jordan: “You probably don’t know I was an early adopter of profiling. I was introduced to profiling when I was director of marketing at Buick.”

Gelly: “What’s a profile based on?”

Jordan: “Profiling is based on assumption that past behavior is a predictor of future behavior. The early approach to profiling was crude by today’s standards. The early profiling used software that combined zip codes and buying patterns. The information was combined into clusters, which were given names that described a certain a group of buyers.”

Gelly: “Names like what??”

Jordan: “’Pools & Patios,’ ‘Down Home Gentry,’ ‘Hard Scrabble,’ ‘Blue Blood Estates’…as I recall there were 40 clusters in all.”

Gelly: “So, how’d you use the info from the clusters?”

Jordan: “One early use of the clusters or profiles was to target buyers for a specialty car we developed. Rather than doing national advertising for the car, which would have been very expensive, we targeted the advertising at clusters who we thought would be most likely to buy.”

Gelly: “How successful was the launch?”

Jordan: “Far exceeded our expectations. Buick and the dealers made tons of money. The success of that program convinced a lot of people of the value of profiling.”

Gelly: “Interesting example. I see why you used profiling. Really worked.”

Jordan: “So now many organizations use profiling – from car companies to philanthropic organizations to the police to Google. What else came up in your group?”

Gelly: “Simple questions. Where’s the effort by the black community to stop the blaming others and start looking in the mirror for the answer? Where’s the effort to begin improving their own lot? Where’s the effort to increase graduation rates? Efforts to reduce births to unwed mothers? Efforts to reduce drug use? Lots of blaming others but seemingly few efforts at self-improvement.”

Jordan: “I agree. The silence from leaders in the black community has been deafening. One cannot delegate personal responsibility. Forget blaming someone else for your failures.”

Gelly: “Any discussion about personal responsibility seems to be a no-no…not politically correct. Blaming someone else is OK but personal responsibility can’t be talked about.”

Jordan: “One of the best list of questions about personal responsibility that need to be discussed by and with the black community was put together by Bill O’Reilly.”

Gelly: “The Bill O’Reilly?”

Jordan: “Yes, the Bill O’Reilly. I often think O’Reilly is off in the weeds. But this time his commentary seemed to hit the nail on the head.”

Gelly: “You download a copy?”

Jordan: “No. Let me get the link. (pause) Here it is. The commentary is from 2016. It lasts about 5 minutes.”

Gelly: “I’m going to get a coffee, watch it, then let’s talk some more.”

(Continued)

#208 Why Vote for the Donald (Part 5 of 5)

10 Sunday Jul 2016

Posted by Jordan Abel in Causes of the Revolution, Gov't Policy, Societal Issues

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Scene: Jordan’s Washington office. Conversation begins Entry #204.

Greenie: “Jordan, we’ve got to finish your fraternity brother’s list soon. I need to get back.”

Jordan: “Alright. The #10 reason to vote for the Donald, ‘Budget: Balance the Damn Thing.’”

Greenie: “That seems like a logical statement.”

Jordan: “It’s logical part of the time but not logical all the time.”

Greenie: “When’s it logical…and when’s it not logical?”

Jordan: “When do you think it’s logical?”

Greenie: “If I look at my own situation, I get more concerned about spending too much during times when the economy is not so good. I turn into a bean counter. So I guess when the economy is not doing well we should balance the budget, right?”

Jordan: “In the most diplomatic way I know, ‘you’re wrong.’”

Greenie: “But it seems as if everyone should cut back on spending when times are not as good. I don’t understand what’s not logical about that.”

Jordan: “First, and I’ll keep this short because of your limited time, the actions of government to help keep the economy healthy are exactly the opposite of actions of individuals.”

Greenie: “You mean as consumers cut back, the government should increase spending? Increased government spending will get the economy going again?”

Jordan: “Exactly.”

Greenie: “Never thought about it quite that way. But now I see why. If the government cuts back the same time as consumers, then incomes decline even more and spending would fall further. The economy would then get worse, a whole lot worse, not better.”

Jordan: “Why people don’t understand such a simple fact is beyond me. There is a ton of empirical evidence supporting that fact. Government should increase deficit spending in bad economic times and try to run a surplus in good economic times.”

Greenie: “Then why do Republicans keep harping on a balanced budget? The Trumpsters were not the first Republicans do make the claim about a balanced budget and some Republicans still are. Why?”

Jordan: “Because many Congressional reps and a lot of Republican voters do not understand the difference between macro and micro-economics. I can forgive someone who did not go to college for not understanding. But virtually all Congressional Representatives and Senators have advanced degrees. There is no excuse for not understanding the difference.”

Greenie: “Anything else about the deficit?”

Jordan: “Yes, there is a major difference in the required accounting method between government and business. If government could use the same accounting method as business, much of the deficit would disappear. At the same time, if business had to use the same accounting method as the government, profits for a lot of companies would become deficits.”

Greenie: “I believe you but the reasons are probably a bit arcane. Let’s save it for another day. What about reason #11?”

Jordan: “Foreign countries: stop giving them our money. Charge them for our help.”

Greenie: “What’s not logical about that idea?”

Jordan: “I assume the Trumpsters were talking about foreign aid. In broad terms foreign aid consists of three major chunks: (i) military related; (ii) assisting countries with economic development; (iii) Ex/Im Bank – export/import bank.”

Greenie: “Remember, keep this simple.”

Jordan: “Military-related would be expenditures for bases in say Germany, Japan and Korea. One can argue how long such bases should remain open but the US does get something in return for these expenditures — military bases on foreign soil. The bases allow the US to respond more quickly to threats to friendly nations and to threats to the US directly.”

Greenie: “So, if the US doesn’t believe the bases are worthwhile, then we should close them?”

Jordan: “Fair question that needs to be addressed by Congress. But it’s a complicated question without a simple answer.”

Greenie: “The other two chunks of foreign aid sound like some handout.”

Jordan: “Direct foreign aid is designed to help countries struggling with economic growth or stability. Just for fun, what percent of the budget goes for such aid?”

Greenie: “If the Trumpsters thought it was such an issue, it must be at least 10%…maybe 15% or 20%. Otherwise it doesn’t seem really worth talking about.”

Jordan: “Try less than 1.0%”

Greenie: “You mean like less than a penny per dollar? So what’s the big deal?”

Jordan: “The issue made the Trumpsters feel good I guess.”

Greenie: “But let’s say the US charged the countries for this aid. Why shouldn’t they pay?”

Jordan: “If the country could pay, they wouldn’t need the aid. Part of the reason for the aid is to buy ‘goodwill’ for the US. If the US doesn’t support these developing countries, enemies of the US will.”

Greenie: “A question then is whether buying some intangible like goodwill is worth the cost, even if it’s a penny.”

Jordan: “Think about Germany and Japan after WWII. What would those countries be like today without the Marshall Plan? What would Europe and Asia be like”

Greenie: “I see your point. What’s this bank thing?”

Jordan: “Ex/Im Bank – export/import bank. Part of the bank’s function is to lend money to developing countries to assist with buying US-made products.”

Greenie: “That seems like some sort of give-away program to those countries.”

Jordan: “Think of it as a way to increase US employment. Over the years, two of the largest beneficiaries have been Boeing and Caterpillar. A bunch of US companies have benefitted but Boeing and Cat have been in the group of big dogs.”

Greenie: “You said Ex/Im is some type of bank. Aren’t banks supposed to make money rather than give away money?”

Jordan: “Ex/Im generates more money for the US economy than it costs. Why the Trumpsters never understood that is beyond me.”

Greenie: “You think the lack of understanding the value of foreign aid contributed to the Revenge Revolution?”

Jordan: “When one does not understand the benefits of something…or even worse takes no time to try to understand…then it’s easy to be influenced by 10-second sound bites, negative advertising and talk-radio blowhards. The short answer, ‘yes,’ not understanding foreign aid contributed to the Revenge Revolution.”

Greenie: “What’s #12?”

Jordan: “’Fix the tax code.’”

Greenie: “I agree with that.”

Jordan: “So do I. The underlying issue is how to structure the tax code to: (i) generate enough income to run the government; (ii) be easy to understand; (iii) be fair to all income levels.”

Greenie: “You agree the tax code is too complicated, right?”

Jordan: “Yes. Here’s an idea. If the Trumpsters in 2016 and Republicans now really want to fix the tax code, then sit down with the Democrats and agree that the entire tax code has to be written on one sheet of 8.5’ x 11.0” paper – front and back – using 11 point font.”

Greenie: “You think that would work?”

Jordan: “The one sheet of paper would force both parties to think through the purpose of taxes and force compromises on both sides.”

Greenie: “Interesting idea. What’s the last one on the list?”

Jordan: “’#13, Respect our military and our flag.”

Greenie: “Sounds simple but what do you think that means?”

Jordan: “I don’t know. If the implication is the military is always right, then I can’t buy the argument. And neither could the Founding Fathers. The US military Commander-in-Chief is a civilian, not a military officer.”

Greenie: “What about respect for what the military does – protect the country.”

Jordan: “OK, but that’s what the military is for. Besides what about respect for protection provided by police and fire departments?”

Greenie: “You getting off track?”

Jordan: “Possibly but I get very upset by the implication that the military is above reproach. The military has some great people. And some bad ones. Folks, the military is an organization with good parts and not so good parts.”

Greenie: “Mmm. To the Trumpsters the military is a part of a government agency that should be highly respected. Yet other government agencies should not be respected and some even dismantled. Trumpster logic I guess.”

Jordan: “Trumpsters…well all of us…need to remember what the military is and what it is not. I think the respect for the military would increase significantly if the US reinstated conscription. Doing a stint in the military…or any kind of government service…provides a different perspective. ”

Greenie: “Conscription is controversial. Save that for another day. What about respect for the flag?”

Jordan: “I could be wrong, but my interpretation of Trumpster logic — respect for the flag is tied to respect for the military. Therefore anyone who opposes what the military supports…Vietnam, Iraq, for example…by implication doesn’t respect the flag. Trumpsters seem to link the two.”

Greenie: “While you were talking, I had a vision of the same conversation happening in say 1775. Would someone who didn’t respect the British military and the British flag be scorned by the Trumpsters? I mean those who didn’t respect it were the liberal rebels.”

Jordan: “With that comment Greenie, I think you answered the question if the statements and actions by the Trumpsters contributed to the Revenge Revolution.”

Greenie: “Thanks for the help Jordan. I’m outta here.”

#207 Why Vote for the Donald (Part 4)

06 Wednesday Jul 2016

Posted by Jordan Abel in Back Asswards Thinking, Causes of the Revolution, Societal Issues

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Scene: Jordan’s Washington office. Conversation begins Entry #204.

Greenie: “Back from the break. Let’s see if we can wrap up reviewing your friend’s list of ‘Reasons to vote for Trump.’”

Jordan: “We can try but there are seven (7) more to go.”

Greenie: “Alright. I’ll be patient. What’s the next reason?”

Jordan: “#7 on the list, ‘Culture: Constitution and Bill of Rights.”

Greenie: “Culture, culture. What do you suppose they meant? Culture can be a ‘way of thinking or behaving.’ Wonder if that’s what they meant?”

Jordan: “I’d say ‘yes.’ When Trumpsters said Constitution and Bill of Rights they usually meant ‘let’s go back to the 18^th Century.’”

Greenie: “So even though the Bill of Rights were not part of the original Constitution…and were added as Amendments #1-#10, the Trumpsters really meant that Amendments #11-#27 were added later and therefore should not count. Right?”

Jordan: “Probably, except the 2^nd Amendment, which should be considered in today’s terms.”

Greenie: “They want to revert to the 18^th Century except for the 2^nd Amendment. But for the 2^nd Amendment the definition of the right to bear arms should (i) ignore the original meaning of a well-regulated militia, which we now have with a standing military and police forces and (ii) include allowing almost anyone to easily buy and own a near replica of all weapons used by today’s infantry, whether Army or Marines. I’ll give credit to the Trumpsters for one thing. At least they were consistent.”

Jordan: “How so?”

Greenie: “Trumpsters would consistently pick an interpretation of a law that fit their need. The logic of the interpretation could vary from one law to the next and sometimes even for the same law, depending on circumstances. But they were consistently inconsistent.”

Jordan: “You mean like the first 10 Amendments should count as part of the Constitution but #11-#27 shouldn’t count?”

Greenie: “Especially exclude the 14^th Amendment since ‘those people’ have never deserved to be citizens. The 22^nd Amendment applied only if there was a Democratic president.”

Jordan: “Greenie, are you being overly cynical?”

Greenie: “I can understand some of the individual statements about why to vote for Trump. But you start to combine 3 or 4 of them, the approach is so out of whack it would not pass the first test in Logic 101.”

Jordan: “That’s because you think through issues and understand how the different issues are linked. When your decisions are based solely on emotion, logic does not matter. Think about the Rushman and talk radio. Logic just gets in the way.”

Greenie: “OK, what’s #8?”

Jordan: “And, #8 is, ‘Drug free: Mandatory drug screening before and during welfare.’ I guess that means…”

Greenie: “Guess? No reason to guess. Blacks, of course, are the cause of most of the drug problem in this country. Blacks also dominate the welfare rolls. Blacks won’t give up drugs. Therefore reduce the welfare rolls through drug tests. Plain and simple solution.”

Jordan: “But whites make up the majority of people on welfare. And whites make up a majority of people using illicit drugs.”

Greenie: “Doesn’t matter what the facts are. Blacks don’t deserve the same treatments as whites. Get blacks off the welfare rolls and a major spending issue solved. Get with it Jordan.”

Jordan: “You’re starting to sound like a Trumpster. What’s happened to you?”

Greenie: “I’ve seen the light. Seriously, you know I don’t support what I just said. But I agreed to write a series of articles about the causes of the Revenge Revolution. At least I need to understand all perspectives, especially the extreme right…and the extreme left.”

Jordan: “Now I’m the one getting confused…and frustrated. You really think the logic behind a drug testing program for welfare was to exclude blacks?”

Greenie: “Absolutely. When this list was written in 2016, blacks on welfare tended to be concentrated more in urban environments and those states leaned more toward Democrats. Whites on welfare were concentrated more in rural areas and many of those states leaned toward Republicans.”

Jordan: “You’re suggesting states with higher concentration of whites could circumvent any Federal law re welfare?”

Greenie: “Of course. Look at how Republican governors tried to circumvent the Affordable Care Act, even to the detriment of many tax-paying citizens in the state. Look at how Republican legislators tried to circumvent the SCOTUS ruling on abortion rights. And your wonderful state of North Carolina…”

Jordan: “Please, that’s where I live. I’m considered an illegal alien by many natives.”

Greenie: “Look how NC led the attack on legalizing discrimination against the LGBT community. The legislators and governor did not care how much money it cost the citizens or the state in lost revenue. The NC legislators had to uphold 18^th Century principles. Legislators in red states are so predictable.”

Jordan: “Make that red-state legislators were predictable. We’re seeing some change since the Revenge Revolution.”

Greenie: “What’s #9? I thought we could zip through the rest of these but I guess not.”

Jordan: “#9 is ‘Freebies: None to non-citizens.’”

Greenie: “I guess that means no welfare, no education for children, no ER treatment at hospitals…even if you have a green card, paying taxes and following all the rules to become a citizen.”

Jordan: “You think the Trumpsters meant to exclude people with green cards?”

Greenie: “I just interpret what I read. The term ‘freebie’ is not defined, of course. I just hope the Trumpsters never get ill and have to visit a doctor or hospital while travelling outside the US.”

Jordan: “Reciprocity would be a good lesson for the Trumpsters. ‘Sorry you’re ill but you need to return to the US for treatment of your appendicitis. Our government does not allow treatment of people who are not citizens of this country. Good luck on making it back.”

Greenie: “Now you’re being cynical. But I do like the idea of the Trumpsters getting the one-fingered salute. Should we try to tackle the rest of the list?

Jordan: “No. This looks like a good stopping point.”

(Continued)

#206 Why Vote for the Donald (Part 3)

02 Saturday Jul 2016

Posted by Jordan Abel in Causes of the Revolution, Societal Issues, Stupid Is as Stupid Does

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Scene: Jordan’s Washington office. Conversation begins Entry #204.

Greenie: “I forgot, what were the 2^nd and 3^rd reasons to vote for the Donald?”

Jordan: “#2 was ‘Put God back in America’ and #3 was ‘Borders, closed and tightly guarded.’”

Greenie: “Let’s take #2, ‘Put God back in America.’ If I’m not mistaken, the founders of this country clearly separated church and state in the Constitution. What are the Trumpsters taking about?”

Jordan: “I suppose they believe…really I have no idea what they are talking about…other than they want the US to become a Christian nation.”

Greenie: “Sorta like some nations in the Middle East where Islam is the state religion? I guess they want the US to be like Saudi Arabia or Syria. How can the Trumpsters keep claiming the US should return to the Constitution as written originally and not understand the separation of church and state?”

Jordan: “Look, I’m equally confused by their reasoning. Let’s move on to #3 – borders.”

Greenie: “I assume they thought a 3,000 mile wall or 6,000 armed border patrol agents stationed every half mile would keep ‘those people’ out.”

Jordan: “I agree that immigration laws should be enforced. That’s pretty much standard procedure worldwide.”

Greenie: “True, but guess what? Republicans in Congress would not support an updated immigration bill that most US citizens considered fair and reasonable.”

Jordan: “Underlying the comment about borders seems to be desire to deport 10+ million undocumented immigrants.”

Greenie: “Were the 10+ million undocumented immigrants an issue? Yes. At the same time, many hard-core Republican businessmen exploited the immigrants. Did these business people press for new legislation or deportation?”

Jordan: “One of the reasons I’ve kept the list all these years is to remind myself how many people can be put in an absolute frenzy by claims with no supporting rationale…or even worse, flat-out lies. It’s like voodoo.”

Greenie: “This conversation is beginning to drive me nuts. But I agreed to write articles about causes of the Revenge Revolution. Let’s address a couple more reasons to vote for the Donald, then take a break.”

Jordan: “#4, ‘Congress: on the same health-care plan as everyone else.”

Greenie: “Since Republicans refuse to support single-payer national health-care, there are a zillion combinations of plans. If the reference point for Trumpsters is the same health-care plan as enjoyed by say senior corporate executives, Congress is probably being short-changed with their current plan.”

Jordan: “I think the Trumpsters meant the plans for the rest of us schmoes.”

Greenie: “But we schmoes have many plans. Which one do the Trumpsters want Congress to have? Yet, another statement with no explanation.”

Jordan: “Alright, #5. ‘Congress – obey its own laws. I assume that an example is members of Congress being exempt from insider trading laws.”

Greenie: “Hey, one Trumpster reason I can agree with. As for insider trading, why should Congress be exempt? The buying and selling of stocks has no bearing whatsoever on their role in Congress. The exemption is a real head scratcher.”

Jordan: “Why Greenie, how dare you think the need for an exemption is a sham? If I’m a Congressman, let’s set up an investigation of an industry or a company. Then make the finding either classified or suggest to DOJ, FBI or IRS to begin an investigation. And before the announcement becomes public…”

Greenie: “…either buy the stock if the news will be good…like a big juicy government contract…or sell shares short if news likely to be bad. And because we’re in Congress the ill-gotten gains are exempt from insider-trading laws.”

Jordan: “If company executives took the same actions, they would be charged with insider trading and subject to fines and/or jail time. Seems only fair that members of Congress should be exempt from insider trading laws.”

Greenie: “Such cynicism.”

Jordan: “You know what’s tragic. I doubt if many of the Trumpsters really knew how egregious some of the exemptions for Congress really were. The use of campaign funds in another classic exemption. Those kinds of exemptions legislated by Congress and for Congress, even if not understood widely, are some of the reasons…at least from my perspective…that we had the Revenge Revolution.”

Greenie: “Next reason for the Donald.”

Jordan: “#6 – English only.”

Greenie: “English only for what? English is already the language for international commerce. Another example — English is required for communications by all pilots on international flights.”

Jordan: “I think the Trumpsters’ point is immigrants in earlier years made an effort to learn English more quickly than today.”

Greenie: “Fact is many earlier immigrants never did learn English. My grandparents are a perfect example. When my parents weren’t around, I became their interpreter. Being their interpreter forced me to learn Yiddish, which I really didn’t appreciate until I got older.”

Jordan: “I understand what you’re saying. What I wonder is whether the Trumpsters ever thought about why there were enclaves of immigrants in major cities. In New York, you had Little Italy, Chinatown and a bunch of places where you were hard pressed to find signs in English, let alone anyone speaking English.”

Greenie: “The problem, if you want to call a non-English language a problem, goes away in a generation or two. If my grandparents spoke English, I probably never would have learned Yiddish. That’s true for 2^nd generation immigrants from most any country.”

Jordan: “What about requiring the immigrant learn English to become a citizen?”

Greenie: “Pardon me? Just how many Trumpsters could pass a citizenship test? Anyway, English has been a requirement for citizenship for many years. There are a couple of exemptions – certain disabilities and being above a certain age – 50 or 55. For the age exemption, which my grandparents qualified under, you also need to have been in the US for so many years. But that’s it for exemptions. The vast majority of people need to learn English to become a US citizen.”

Jordan: “Back to a repeating question as we analyze the list of reasons to vote for Trump – what’s the real issue?”

Greenie: “Jordan, the lack of logic in these reasons…maybe the lack of logic is the Trumpsters’ logic…is why I need a break.”

(Continued)

#205 Why Vote for the Donald (Part 2)

25 Saturday Jun 2016

Posted by Jordan Abel in Causes of the Revolution, Societal Issues, Stupid Is as Stupid Does

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Scene: Jordan’s Washington office. Conversation begins Entry #204.

Greenie: “OK, I have my coffee. Before we go back over the list, a sidebar.”

Jordan: “That is.”

Greenie: “Understand Gelly is going on another cruise. Did I hear her correctly – Alaska?”

Jordan: “Yeah, she’s going with some long-time female buddies. Exactly where in Alaska I don’t know but she’s leaving in a couple of days.”

Greenie: “Sounds like great fun. How you going to get along without her?”

Jordan: “I’ll struggle but get by. She went on a cruise a couple of years ago…and I survived, barely.”

Greenie: “Let me know if you need any help. Now, back to the list from your fraternity brother of reasons to vote for the Donald. Start at the top?”

Jordan: “Yes. We need to make sure we do ‘point’ and ‘counter-point’ for the items on the list.”

Greenie: “You going to be the Trumpster or am I?”

Jordan: “I’ll be the Trumpster. #1 reason to vote for the Donald – ‘Make sure Hillary is accountable.’ At the time, I assume that meant accountable for Benghazi, email server and who knows what else they were claiming.”

Greenie: “This might be one of the few points I agreed with the Trumpsters on…providing”

Jordan: “…providing what?”

Greenie: “Providing the rules for Hillary apply to the Republicans in Congress and members of the President’s cabinet.”

Jordan: “Let’s take emails. She used her personal server and she transferred classified info. She committed a felony and should be sent to jail. No need for a trial. She admitted she was guilty.”

Greenie: “Whoa, Bubba. First, there’s no proof any classified information was compromised.”

Jordan: “Doesn’t matter. She’s guilty. Off to jail.”

Greenie: “A substantial portion of the material in question was not designated ‘classified’ when she emailed it. The material was designated ‘classified’ sometime later. How can you prosecute someone retroactively?”

Jordan: “She never asked if she could use a personal server. She broke the rules. Jail time.”

Greenie: “Do you agree that the President’s Cabinet officials should be subject to the same rules?”

Jordan: “Of course. But nobody in Reagan’s cabinet used a personal server.”

Greenie: “Excuse me, Mr. Trumpster. There wasn’t email when Reagan was president.”

Jordan: “I know. But Reagan was considered the gold standard among many Trumpsters.”

Greenie: “What about illegal activity by someone in Bush 43’s cabinet?”

Jordan: “Nothing to the extent of Hillary. She’s the absolute worst offender.”

Greenie: “What about knowingly disclosing top-secret information to someone not authorized to receive it? Should that be punished?”

Jordan: “That’s why Hillary should do jail time.”

Greenie: “If you feel that way, then let’s go find General Petraeus and put him in jail. He disclosed secret info while head of the CIA.”

Jordan: “We don’t know if he used email. So there.”

Greenie: “No, it was worse. He gave away hard copy. Since you don’t want to put Petraeus in jail, then give Hillary the same sentence the General got…nothing. Now, move on.”

Jordan: “Let’s pause for a minute. How are we going to address all the points on the list? We could be here all day, spout BS and not really accomplish much.”

Greenie: “Jordan, I’m not spouting BS, just trying to point out the facts.”

Jordan: “The arguments supporting the ‘Why Vote for Trump’ list remind me of the teenage son who was in an accident. He tells his father the other person drove right out in front of him. What he failed to tell his father is the other person had the right of way.”

Greenie: “That story reminds me of a radio program from years ago. Paul Harvey had a show titled, ‘The Rest of the Story.’ The show filled in the gaps on a variety of events and stories.”

Jordan: “Maybe we should try the Paul Harvey approach. Let’s try telling the rest of the story.”

Greenie: “OK, then go back and start with Hillary. I agree she made some decisions that in retrospect, could have used better judgment. The email server was probably the classic.”

Jordan: “As far as I know, the email server and all the actions the Republicans claimed to be illegal during the campaign had been investigated thoroughly. No criminal behavior was found.”

Greenie: “Obviously, some Republicans didn’t like the outcomes of the investigations but she was cleared of any criminal offense.”

Jordan: “One of the murkier issues that kept cropping up before the election…and even after the election…was money being funneled to the Clinton Foundation for actions while she was Secretary of State. Republicans alleged she provided favors for certain individuals and the recipients then made contributions to the Clinton Foundation. Republicans claimed that was illegal.”

Greenie: “Let’s talk about the rest of the story. I would like to know the difference between what she did…if it’s true…and what members of Congress do nearly every day either for someone who makes a large donation to the campaign or promises to make a large donation?”

Jordan: “That doesn’t make such actions right.”

Greenie: “I agree. But look who’s calling the kettle black. Or if that’s too subtle, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander…except if you’re a Republican. What’s the difference? In my view, there is no difference between what Hillary allegedly did and what Congressional Representatives and Senators do to this day. C’mon, these guys need to get real.”

Jordan: “Seems as if the Republicans are forgetting the rest of the story, which is a good segue to the Donald. What about holding him accountable for previous actions?”

Greenie: “You mean like defrauding investors and stiffing vendors. Paying less to vendors than what you legitimately owe is called…ah, stealing. Last I looked stealing was a felony that people do jail time for.”

Jordan: “Greenie, you don’t understand. For Trumpsters, stiffing vendors is a smart business decision.”

Greenie: “It’s a smart business decision until you’re the one getting screwed. Do the Trumpsters ever wonder why major banks and investment houses won’t deal with him? Why many suppliers won’t sell to the Donald?”

Jordan: “What about 3^rd parties that checked his claims made during speeches and his tweets…”

Greenie: “…then giving him the ‘Pants on Fire Award.’ Why not make him accountable for what he claimed to be the truth?”

Jordan: “You and I both know the Trumpsters didn’t care about facts. Trumpsters were obsessed with hating Hillary.”

Greenie: “OK, we’ve now spent time on the 1^st of 13 reasons why to vote for the Donald. Have we made any real progress?”

Jordan: “You tell me. You’re writing articles about causes of the Revenge Revolution. Is this type conversation helpful?”

Greenie: “Let’s address a couple more items on the list, then decide.”

(Continued)

#204 Why Vote for the Donald (Part 1)

18 Saturday Jun 2016

Posted by Jordan Abel in Causes of the Revolution, Societal Issues, Stupid Is as Stupid Does

≈ 4 Comments

Scene: Jordan’s Washington office.

Gelly (Jordan’s assistant): “Jordan, excuse me. You have a visitor you’ll be glad to see.”

Jordan: “Greenie. Great to see you and great to see you’re up and about the world.”

Greenie: “Nice to see you Jordan. Happy to be out of the house. Recuperating was a pain in the you-know-what.”

Jordan: “This a social visit?”

Greenie: “Stopped by to thank you for all your help. You and JC did a wonderful job in getting information for my upcoming articles on the causes of the Revenge Revolution.”

Jordan: “We had a fun and interesting time. Been a while since I spent that much time with JC.”

Greenie: “Like old home week, huh? Anyway, I need one more favor, please. When I look at information from 2016 – articles, surveys, etc. – I’m still confused by the rationale people used to justify voting for Trump. I just don’t understand it.”

Jordan: “I would characterize much of the justification as having no support or rationale. Most of the Trumpites just didn’t want to listen.”

Greenie: “Seems as if a fairly large group was so anti-Hillary that they were willing to throw all logic to the wind.”

Jordan: “I hear you. Even some seemingly well-educated people drank the anti-Hillary Kool-Aid.”

Greenie: “I can understand why people might not like her. But you want a president that’s smart, understands issues and has some reasonable solutions. As far as the Donald…”

Jordan: “Here’s a perfect example of what you’re talking about. I’ve kept a copy of this email since receiving in mid-2016.”

Greenie: “Is it from the RNC, NRA or one of those?”

Jordan: “No. From a fraternity brother in undergrad.”

Greenie: “What’s the email say?”

Jordan: “The email lists reasons why someone should vote for Trump.”

Greenie: “And, #10 is?”

Jordan: “Actually, there are 13 reasons and I’m not sure there in hierarchical order other than the last one. Here goes: (1) Hold Hillary accountable for her previous wrongs. (2) Put ‘GOD’ back in America. (3) Borders: closed or tightly guarded. (4) Congress: On the same retirement and healthcare plans as everybody else. (5) Congress: obey its own laws, NOW! (6) Language: English only. (7) Culture: Constitution and Bill of Rights. (8) Drug Free: Mandatory drug screening before and during welfare. (9) Freebies: None to non-citizens. (10) Budget: Balance the damn thing. (11) Foreign Countries: stop giving them our money! Charge them for our help! We need it here. (12) Fix the TAX CODE! (13) And most of all, Respect our military and our flag.”

Greenie: “Was there any explanation of what these statements were intended to mean?”

Jordan: “No, just proclamations. ‘I’m in charge and this is what I want.’ Like someone with a pair of six shooters…plus one. Rapid fire, no reasoning. Want to go back to the beginning and discuss each one further?”

Greenie: “Yes, but I need some coffee first. I’ll check with Gelly. Want a cup?”

Jordan: “Yes, please. Thanks.”

(Continued)

#200 US Microcosm: Raleigh Republicans Render Revenge (Part 1)

22 Sunday May 2016

Posted by Jordan Abel in Back Asswards Thinking, Causes of the Revolution, Gov't Policy, Societal Issues, Stupid Is as Stupid Does

≈ 3 Comments

First-time readers, this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020). Most entries assume there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution. More about Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1. List and general description of entries to date. Annual assessment whether Revolution plausible.

Note: most entries are constructed as a dialogue between the main character, Jordan Abel, and variety of colleagues, friends and random acquaintances. Characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations. Profile of characters. You’ll catch on quickly. Thanks for your time and interest…and comments.

This entry breaks with the traditional format. Regular readers might be wondering why all the entries about NC legislators. I’d like to let go and move on to another topic. However, just when I think the legislators are beginning to act rationally, they manage to continue to do something potentially harmful to the state.

The actions in Raleigh seem to be a microcosm of what’s happening in Washington. Two sides seemingly unwilling to compromise, even if one of the positions is considered so extreme that no compromise is possible. Further, the irrational actions often continue even when continuing could cause consider harm to a wide swatch of society.

For NC legislators, the most recent action is a threat to withhold a limitation on the amount of sales tax on jet fuel paid by American Airlines. While I believe that incentives are not the most effective way to attract and grow businesses, incentives do seem appropriate in some cases…and this is one.

Charlotte is a major airline hub (Initially USAir which was acquired by American). The airport itself is not a major economic driver, but having a major airline hub is a major economic driver. Numerous companies, especially companies with HQ outside the US, have cited an important reason for locating in and around Charlotte is easy access to international flights.

So why does the legislature want to eliminate the incentives? Not because of opposition to incentives. But because American Airlines supported repealing HB2 (the bill that among other things forces transgenders to use the bathroom of the sex listed on their birth certificate). And American is not alone is supporting repeal of HB2. Many large employers in North Carolina have urged the governor and legislators to repeal of the law.

So, how do the governor and legislators respond? Like 2-year olds. The legislator and the governor appear willing to bring economic harm to many citizens in NC because someone told them their legislation was stupid. And, like a whiny 2-year old, the legislators and the governor blamed someone else – in this case the mayor of Charlotte.

What did the Charlotte mayor do? Lead the effort to pass the ordinance allowing transgenders to select their restroom. The ordinance, which applies only in the City of Charlotte, is admittedly controversial. However, before the ordinance took effect and before the residents of Charlotte had an opportunity to overturn the ordinance – city-wide referendum, recalling the mayor and council, etc. – the state legislators stepped in to “save Charlotte from itself.”

So here we have legislators from throughout the state, many of whom probably have never been in Charlotte, telling the residents of Charlotte what’s good for them. And oh, yes, Charlotte residents, we’re going to take away your right to address issues that affect only your city. Why? Because, we, the Republicans in Raleigh, know best. A little bit of overreach here?

Then what happens? With the overreach the NC legislators poked the big dog in Washington…and, oops, the dog bit back. Department of Justice filed a suit against the state. Then the Department of Education issued a directive mandating that schools comply with regulations that are similar to the Charlotte ordinance.

The NC 2-year olds claimed overreach by the Federal government and harden their stance. The result was to inflict more economic damage on the state as companies began to drop NC from consideration for relocating or expanding operations. The economic damage affected Charlotte, even though the City has made considerable effort to attract a more diverse workforce and attract more high-tech industries.

The legislators apparently offered to repeal HB2 if Charlotte repealed its ordinance. The Charlotte mayor and some council members…and many citizens…responded by asking “‘why agree to something the other side had no business getting involved in the first place?” The current resolution of the issue is weaving its way through the courts, which could take years.

A better step, I think, is let the people of Charlotte decide if they want to support the ordinance. Let residents debate the plusses and minuses, possibly reach a reasonably palatable solution to all sides.

Voters in the City of Houston rejected a similar ordinance. Other cities have ordinances similar to the one passed by Charlotte. But let the residents of the area affected decide. If Charlotte wants to be labeled as “too liberal” by some others in NC, so be it. Those same people will likely not go to New York, San Francisco or many other locations.

The irony, from my perspective, is transgenders have been using the bathroom of choice for many years with no apparent incidents. Now that the City of Charlotte formalizes the choice, Republicans in Raleigh believe there is an issue. Uh, your reaction couldn’t be merely political could it?

And thus, the suggestion that NC is a microcosm of the US. Every decision in Raleigh and Washington seems to have become so politicized that compromise and reasonable solutions are impossible. Further the seeming insistence on seeking revenge and inflicting pain on those who have a different view reinforces my concern the US is headed for a 5^th revolution, the Revenge Revolution.

The next few entries will center on NC HB2 bill. Then we’ll move on. Jordan Abel

#199 Bullying, Blame and Blasphemy (Part 9 of 9)

15 Sunday May 2016

Posted by Jordan Abel in Causes of the Revolution, Stupid Is as Stupid Does

≈ Leave a comment

Scene: Jordan’s office in Washington. Jordan meeting with JC, who has agreed to propose causes of the Revenge Revolution for Greenie, a mutual friend, who is an author. Greenie is recovering from short-term illness. Conversation started #191.

JC: “Back from my break. We’ve got one more topic for Greenie’s articles.”

Jordan: “OK, but let’s go to the coffee shop and sit outside. It’s a Chamber-of-Commerce day and we should enjoy it.”

(Now outside at the coffee shop.)

JC: “Here’s an idea as a cause for the Revenge Revolution – bullying, blaming and blasphemy?”

Jordan: “Sounds like a headline from some tabloid. Tell me more. Start with bullying.”

JC: “Seems to me that many people just got tired of politicians trying to bully each other, bully the media and bully the public.”

Jordan: “Such as…”

JC: “I keep ratcheting back to the 2016 presidential campaign. That set a new standard for bullying. Simple example, conservative Republicans ranting and raving that news clips on Facebook were biased against Republicans. C’mon. As if the news clips on Fox aren’t biased? Look who’s calling the kettle black?”

Jordan: “OK, the bias claim has long been a standard line of the radio talking heads. I guess because of its popularity, Facebook qualified as ‘drive-by’ media. What else?”

JC: “What else is this. People who tried to bully Facebook should be glad I wasn’t in charge. I would have told them to shove it. Zuckerberg was far too diplomatic.”

Jordan: “A more relevant example, please.”

JC: “Your great state of North Carolina. I know it’s not really your state but you do live there. The legislators…and governor what’s his name…tried to become world-class at bullying and blaming.”

Jordan: “You talking about HB2 – the transgender law? And by the way, the governor in 2016 was Pat McCrory.”

JC: “See if I have the sequencing right. The City of Charlotte passed a law that provided certain rights to LGBT’s. The law applied only to the city and nowhere else. Right?”

Jordan: “Right so far.”

JC: “Then the Republican state legislators passed some law in a special session with no discussion. The law applied to the entire state, not just the City of Charlotte. Moreover, the language read like an old Jim Crow law with ‘LGBT’ inserted for blacks.’ Then puppet Pat signed the bill the same day.”

Jordan: “Why do you classify that as bullying?”

JC: “Why did the Republican legislators feel compelled to pass a law for the entire state when the ordinance covered only Charlotte? Bullies want people to think they’re powerful. So the yahoos from rural North Carolina, who would never step foot in Charlotte anyway – too many of ‘those people’ and too many Yankee liberals – passed a law for the entire state. Bullying pure and simple.”

Jordan: “OK, where’s the blame come in?”

JC: “The yahoos then blamed the mayor of Charlotte for causing the problem and forcing the legislators to act. Excuse me. No one twisted the legislators arm to act.”

Jordan: “Are you implying some pattern for blaming?”

JC: “Yes, there is a pattern…at least there was a pattern then. If one listens closely to Republicans, then and even now – and I’m not talking just North Carolina but nationally – the mantra seems to be that whatever the issue, someone else is to blame for causing the problem. Republicans never, ever seem to own up to being at fault.”

Jordan: “JC, You seem to be letting your liberal side get out of control. You really believe there’s a pattern?”

JC: “Start listening more carefully to the wording of statements. You’ll see the pattern. Sometimes its blatant but most of the time it’s more subtle.”

Jordan: “Let’s go back to the NC law for a few more minutes.”

JC: “OK, remember right after Puppet Pat signed HB2, PayPal cancelled an operations center in Charlotte with how many jobs?”

Jordan: “400 minimum.”

JC: “What does the Puppet say? PayPal was bad because they did business in countries that discriminate against gays and other LGBT’s. Well, Patty Boy, if PayPal was such a bad company, then why did you slobber all over yourself and take credit for ‘economic development’ when PayPal announced the call center? Using Patty’s logic, PayPal was at fault for cancelling the call center, not actions by the legislators or the governor.”

Jordan: “Keep going.”

JC: “Not long after PayPal bailed, the Feds got involved. They threatened to without funds for schools and roads because HB2 conflicted with some Federal statutes. The Feds gave the state a chance to overturn the law or at least stop enforcement. And how do Patty Boy and the legislators react?”

Jordan: “They blamed the Feds for not giving them enough time to overturn the law.”

JC: “Now you’re getting the picture. In less than one day, the legislators passed the law and Patty signed it. But then the same fast-draw Republicans screamed and blamed the Feds that five days wasn’t enough time to respond. See my point?”

Jordan: “There’s a pattern.”

JC: “Then talk about stupid is as stupid does. The state sued the Feds claiming, really blaming overreaching. Did anyone ever teach those yahoos not to poke a sleeping dog with a stick, especially a really big dog?”

Jordan: “Apparently not. Just to be fair and balanced…”

JC: “Please, Jordan, don’t make me throw up over fair and balanced.”

Jordan: “You’re not suggesting that Democrats are completely clean on bullying and blaming are you?”

JC: “No, but the scale seems to be heavily weighted toward Republicans. Look who the Republicans nominated in 2016, the Donald.”

Jordan: “I don’t think I ever heard him take responsibility for anything going wrong. It was always someone else’s fault. And he was clearly a master bullier.”

JC: “And a master bull…oops, I forgot we’re outside. A master BSer.”

Jordan: “We’ve covered bullying and blaming. What’s the blasphemy part?”

JC: “The religious right kept claiming they were exempt from certain laws because the laws conflicted with their religious beliefs. And any challenge to their argument was considered blasphemous. Sometimes I thought we were in Iran, not the US.”

Jordan: “You must think the US Constitution includes some kind of clause about separation of church and state? Where’d you ever get an idea like that?”

JC: “My apologies for such a stupid thought. Seriously, the claims by many fundamentalists they should be excluded from certain laws created extreme resentment among many people.”

Jordan: “I agree. The constant finger-pointing and the attitude ‘I’m right, you’re wrong’ and the ‘law doesn’t apply to me’ really added fuel to the fire.”

JC: “As we talked earlier, the pot of water boiling over lead to the Revenge Revolution.”

Jordan: “You think we’ve been too one-sided in our topics for Greenie? Most seem to fall in the Republican camp.”

JC: “No one’s claiming Democrats are faultless. But if one evaluates objectively where society got out of whack, I think the Republicans hard shift to the right along with the bullying, blaming and blasphemy made governing nearly impossible. So the pot boils over and we have a revolution.”

Jordan: “Think the country can recover?”

JC: “I don’t know. You and I are old enough to have lived through the last revolution. The country was in turmoil for more than a decade.”

Jordan: “And it wasn’t any fun. Let’s hope this recovery doesn’t take as long.”

JC: “I agree. Maybe Greenie’s articles will help heal the wounds more quickly. I’ll let her know what we came up with.”

(End of the series about articles for Greenie)

#198 Lessons from Feeling the Bern and the Donald (Part 8)

08 Sunday May 2016

Posted by Jordan Abel in Causes of the Revolution, Societal Issues

≈ Leave a comment

Jordan: “Greenie asked if we could come up with 9-10 possible causes of the Revenge Revolution.”

JC: “We need a couple more. I had the last idea, your turn.”

Jordan: “Not sure of the answer but the question could be a good topic.”

JC: “OK, what’s the question?”

Jordan: “Go back to 2016. What were the causes of such wide-spread support for Bernie Sanders and The Donald?”

JC: “Interesting question. Both sets of followers seemed to the antithesis of the candidate.”

Jordan: “There’s Bernie, an old Jewish guy from Brooklyn transplanted to Vermont. And what does he do? Attract huge crowds of Millennials.”

JC: “Feeling the Bern was like voting for your crusty old grandfather. You’d expect the Millennials to gravitate to some dynamic Millennial-like candidate.”

Jordan: “And exactly the opposite happened. The Millennials support an old, sort of frumpy guy.”

JC: “The same with supporters of the Donald. Here’s a NY real estate guy with lots of money and a high life-style. And who are his primary supporters?”

Jordan: “Lower-income, middle-age white guys. Most of them probably had never been to NY, let alone shop on 5^th Avenue near Trump Tower.”

JC: “Or been to Palm Beach and shopped on Worth Avenue.”

Jordan: “You’d think the Millennials would be attracted to Trump and the middle-age guys would be attracted to Bernie.”

JC: “But just the opposite happened. The attraction must have been the message.”

Jordan: “What about the messenger, which seems to be a big concern in politics?”

JC: “Well, Bernie and the Donald proved that looks are unimportant. Bernie in his rumpled suits. And the Donald who looks like a cartoon character.”

Jordan: “Plus, the delivery was not extraordinary either. Neither could match the delivery of JFK or Reagan…or even Bill Clinton.”

JC: “While the Donald was a bit of a flame thrower, he was anything but eloquent.”

Jordan: “So, she says, the key must have been the content of the message. But do you think people actually listened to the message?”

JC: “Yes. Both Bernie and the Donald realized the message from mainstream politicians was ‘broken.’ So, they took a different tact. Throw out the sugar-coating and the euphemisms. Bring in straight talk.”

Jordan: “Both talked about problems and issues that mainstream politicians sidestepped. You might say Bernie talked about the donkey in the room and the Donald talked about the elephant in the room.”

JC: “Both were effective, although I must say the Donald was less than tactful much of the time. Clearly Millennials and future generations faced a set of circumstances that needed to be addressed, which Bernie tried to do. And middle-aged people…white and black…faced a problem of no longer having decent-paying factory jobs. And that problem needed to be addressed.”

Jordan: “To show you how the job market has changed…and how old I am…when I got out of undergrad, I had 10 job offers. Not all great but 10 offers.”

JC: “10 offers? You? You fooled that many companies?”

Jordan: “Thanks for the vote of confidence. When Bernie and the Donald were campaigning, for a college grad to get a couple of decent job offers, let alone 10 offers, was more like a pipe dream. A fairly high percentage of college graduates were getting no credible offers.”

JC: “At the same time, a high percentage of middle-aged people had been in a job that was eliminated and then could only find a job that paid significantly less. In a way, it was the same dilemma that recent college graduates faced.”

Jordan: “So the lesson for Greenie is message is more important than the appearance of the messenger.”

JC: “Yes. I’d add one other lesson from the Bern and the Donald – fund raising.”

Jordan: “They both broke the traditional model of who fed the piggy-bank. Neither Bernie nor the Donald had support of any PAC and both started with virtually no field organization. Bernie had no appreciable financial assets but still managed to raise millions of dollars from small donors. Raised money like Obama but took it to another level.”

JC: “The Donald spent his own money and then leveraged the media better than anyone before him. Think about all the free coverage he got.”

Jordan: “OK, lesson #2. Traditional funding and traditional field organizations are not required to gain wide-spread support.”

JC: “Here’s what I’m still having trouble with. The last topic we gave Greenie – the effect of internet myopia – and this topic – lessons from the Bern and the Donald – did these factors really contribute to the Revenge Revolution, or were they merely side issues?”

Jordan: “I think Greenie is going to find the Revenge Revolution is like most revolutions. There is no single cause. Revolutions follow an accumulation of many events and frustrations. I agree that at some point the pot boils over and there is a revolution. But the cause of the pot boiling over is not the last few minutes before it boils over but the build-up of heat over a much longer period. Consider all the events we’re outlining as throwing wood on the fire. With more wood the fire keeps getting hotter and hotter…”

JC: “…until the water boils over. Then we have a revolution. And speaking of water about ready to spill from the container, I need a break.”

usrevolution5

~ USA Headed for a 5th Revolution! Why?

Category Archives: Causes of the Revolution

#213 Republican Leaders Have No Balls…and Two Strikes

#209 The Blame Game (Part 1)

#208 Why Vote for the Donald (Part 5 of 5)

#207 Why Vote for the Donald (Part 4)

#206 Why Vote for the Donald (Part 3)

#205 Why Vote for the Donald (Part 2)

#204 Why Vote for the Donald (Part 1)

#200 US Microcosm: Raleigh Republicans Render Revenge (Part 1)

#199 Bullying, Blame and Blasphemy (Part 9 of 9)

#198 Lessons from Feeling the Bern and the Donald (Part 8)