Everything's the same. There ain't nothin' changed.

 I have some Actual Paying Work to get done tonight, so we're going to knock this out right quick. Fortunately, we've still got plenty of Kamala Harris stuff to talk about. Apparently, Wingnut Intelligencia went decided to go full-goose loony right out the gate.

 The funny thing is until Trump started out remaking himself on Twitter, the whole Birther thing was fairly fringe. It first popped up on some Z-list wingnut blog before Obama got the nomination. I don't think it was the same folks who claimed Michelle had said "Kill Whitey" on tape, but it may have. Anyhow, the Clinton people did some opposition result and it came up nothing - naturally - and stayed on the lunatic fringe until Trump used it to make himself a public figure.

 Twelve years later, and there are still plenty of conservatives who're convinced that not only is Barack Obama not a native-born citizen, but the Republican Party and every government in the entire world is in on the con. This is the level of folks we're dealing with here. Unfortunately, the lunatic fringe has become the GOP mainstream, so the last 12 or so hours have been them going apeshit over Kamala Harris' eligibility. And here's why that's not only stupid but racist.

 For one, there is absolutely no question that she is an American citizen. She was born in Oakland, CA, and according to the 14th Amendment, that's it. Her dad was from Jamaica and her mom was from India, but both were naturalized citizens when she was born. Again, the 14th Amendment is very clear on this. There is absolutely no argument about this. Racists have called her an "anchor baby," which just means that, yes, she is a citizen.

 The height of this horseshit came from a column in Newsweek by Chapman University law professor John Eastman. His column was pretty much the above paragraph, followed by several paragraphs of "but maybe that's not so". The saddest part of this is seeing how far the once very respectable name of Newsweek has fallen. They were sold by The Washington Post for a nickel ten years ago to some far-right Christian Dominionist group that isn't "The Family," apparently, and have been running columns by the likes of Charlie Kirk and this clown.

 The opinion section is run by some yo-yo named Josh Hammer, who's a member of the same bunch of right-wing extremists as Eastman, The Claremont Institute. That wasn't mentioned in the column, by the way. For that matter, neither was the little nugget of information that Eastman ran for the same Attorney General of California back in 2010 that Harris won and brought her to national prominence. He didn't make it out of the Republican primary - finished third, actually - but is it possible he's still got some sand in his ass about being beaten by a woman of color? It would be irresponsible to not speculate.

 Even in his column defending the original mess of bullshit, Hammer said the "controversy" wouldn't go away. Well, no shit, sleazeball, way to add fuel to the fire. Way to make it mainstream and give it credence. There was no question about this, especially considering Eastman wrote a piece a couple years ago defending (rightly) the eligibility of Ted Cruz. He was born in Canada but to an American citizen, for what it's worth.

 And this, friends and neighbors, is what the next 80-something days are going to be like. We're already seeing people profess confusion over whether Harris is "black" or "Indian" or if having a Jamaican father means she's "black" enough or "African American". Laura Ingraham, She-Wolf of the SS, said on her hate hour that Harris had an ancestor in Jamaica that was a slave owner. This was supposed to be a sick burn, despite Frau Laura not stopping to think just why a black woman might have a slave-owning ancestor.

 If nothing else, this affair exposes the rank dumbness of far too many white Americans. They can't handle mixed heritages or ethnicities that don't fall neatly into census boxes. They get a hard-on for Confederate statues while pretending the horrors of slavery didn't happen, much less still have after-effects in the present. They claim the Left is "obsessed" with race when they spread stupid, ignorant shit like this at the drop of the hat.

 Look, bubba. If you're questioning about Harris' citizenship, you're a racist. If you use the phrase "anchor baby," you're racist. If you're trying to parse whether she's black enough or Indian or whatever, you're a racist. Deal with it. This is your party now. Hell, Trump is trying to scare white suburbanites by telling them Corey Booker - the Wayne Brady of American politics - will come after them if Biden wins. Own it. Embrace it. No one is fooled into thinking otherwise.

 Hell, I just wonder how long it's going to be before Trump's dumbass says something about Harris' Indian heritage but he thinks it's American Indigenous rather than someone from India. You know it's coming. You could almost set your watch by it.

Let it rain.

 Well, we got the word today. Joe Biden announced his Vice-President would be California Senator and former Democratic nominee hopeful Kamala Harris. We'll look a little more into the political side of this tomorrow in the News, but this is a big deal and demands some heavy thinking.

 While such an announcement does need to marinate, most of the reactions have been fairly predictable. Trump's already called her "nasty" because she was mean to Brett "Kegger" Kavanaugh. Congressional dickheads like Sen. John Cornyn of Texas are already trying to paint her as a radical, red-eyed liberal. To the surprise of absolutely no one, the soi-disant "Never Trumpers" are sadly shaking their head and admitting with heavy sighs that due to Harris being the VP nominee, they have no choice but to vote for Trump. And finally, the Sanders dead-enders are further solidifying their stance as irrelevant to the national political stage as they rend their garments in performative rage and hope Trump wins so everyone will like them.

 Really, I've touched on this before, but if you're willing and eager for Trump to win because the Biden-Harris ticket or the DNC, in general, isn't pure enough for you, you are not progressive and you do not have the average folks best interest at heart. You either don't have what it takes to play the game or you're just doing it all for shits and giggles. Yes, I'm talking to you, Walker Bragman, you weaselly little turd.

 Anyhow, Kamala Harris. Look, I'm not going to lie. Of all the Democratic nominees, she's one of the ones I liked, which isn't saying much. I have no illusions about the Democratic Party nor the candidates. They are not going to nominate anyone much to the left of Barack Obama or, for that matter, Bernie Sanders since there's not quite as much difference between the two as some would like to think. That's just how it is and the feet stomping the self-declared Left does every four years won't change that fact.

 So, like Cory Booker or Julián Castro, the main reason I favored her, as far as that goes, was the youth factor. All due respect and one has to admire the vitality of Elizabeth Warren, Sanders, and even Biden at 70-plus, and they're all at least "just fine" at what they do. Again, we're not expecting Eugene Debbs or Emma Goldman, here, so let's be realistic.

 What calls itself the Left in this country really needs to understand a couple of things. One, within a two-party system, you have to build from the bottom. That's what the Modern Conservative Movement did, taking over school boards and city councils in the '60s and '70s. Barry Goldwater and Richard Nixon were not down at all for that hardcore evangelical movement The Family documents, but it suited Ronald Reagan down to his toes, so long as he won. Put a little work in down the ticket and don't expect to be given the Presidency by the folks you've been calling fascists for the past 20 years. We could've done this in 2000 but the Greens decided the smell of their own farts was more pleasing and less work, so here we are.

 Second - and this is the most important thing - if Trump gets another term in office, you can forget any idea of implementing progressive politics on a national level for at least two generations. It's going to be a tough row to hoe to get out of the right-wing pit he and his GOP lackeys have put us in as it is. But if he wins? Man, forget about it. It is done.

 Even worse, you can kiss progressive politics on a state and local level goodbye if he wins come November. More likely than not, a Trump federal government emboldened by a second term will come down hard on states and cities that don't toe the line despite how big a wreck Republican policies obviously make things. I mean, I live in Mississippi and while I probably won't see it, it'd be nice to be a part of what would make this state not a complete shame to call home. Trump wins, that's not going to happen.

 You can call me an alarmist if you want, but that just means you haven't been paying attention. The Gestapo-like tactics of ICE and the Border Patrol have already been tested in Portland, and enough of the goons desperate for an Authoritarian Daddy president is cool and the gang with it. The Postmaster General is actively fucking with how the mail is delivered to stymie vote-by-mail and Republicans have sliced-and-diced funding for local voting precincts, especially in minority areas. Abortion will be almost impossible for all but the rich and well-connected, especially once they replace Ruth Ginsberg with someone who makes Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch like refugees from Haight-Ashbury.

 And so long as he gets his cheers from his screaming fans - who've already said they're "just waiting on the word" from the President to "deal with" anyone that needs dealing with - Trump won't give a shit. You have to know this. This has to be glaringly obvious if you're at all serious about making this country and this world a better place for those that come behind you.

 If you can't bring yourself to pull the lever at least against Trump and the GOP, well... it's your world, for you and your kids. I'll be fine either way and only have to hold out another 30 years or so. If all you really care about is moral superiority, political purity, or whatever the hell it is, that's on you, bubba.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

 Well, I am not going to lie. I am a little disappointed.