We have streets full of angry protesters and angry cops, plus a fatal pandemic and an economic collapse. We have a leader who dismisses the health threats, wants to use the military against American civilians, and thinks the sight of protesters being tear-gassed is a “beautiful scene.” And those are just the domestic problems! So I’m kinda curious about the 8% who think things are hunky-dory.
Nearly nine in ten Americans believe that the country is in crisis generally.
While Democrats are most likely to believe the country is in crisis (96%), the sentiment is shared by four in five Republicans (79%). pic.twitter.com/BQQBrzqkmx
— Navigator Research (@NavigatorSurvey) June 12, 2020
I think Trump and his supporters are the problem. And by supporters I do not mean the people who fill up his rallies. I mean the billionaires who seem to give the Republican Party its marching orders, which consist of doing what is best for billionaires in the short/medium run, and to hell with the country as a whole and the long run.
It is their spending on politics and media over the past decades that have made is possible for Trump to get elected, to avoid impeachment, and who knows what next? I sure don’t.
Yes, the coronavirus is bad, but because of science, it is not as bad as the Spanish Flu. Yes, the George Floyd /police brutality protests are startling, but they are not as bad as the 1960’s riots, IMO. In fact, I see the political activism of the protests as good portent for the future.
But Trump and the perversion of truth and politics by the immensely wealthy? Personally, I think history shows us that the selfishness and short-sightedness of the wealthy was responsible both for the decay of the Western Roman Empire and the French Revolution. But you can’t tell that bunch of self-styled John Galts that.
As a DCer I’m asking myself how will the OB fuck up July 4th on the Mall this year? Bringing the Spokesmen (see below) would be a start. (Mom, thanks for that nugget on the Jam the other day) .
“The western world has a common dedication
To keep free people from Red domination
And maybe you can’t vote, boy, but man your battle stations
Or there’ll be no need for votin’ in future generations
So over and over again, you keep sayin’ it’s the end
But I say you’re wrong, we’re just on the dawn of correction
There are buttons to push in two mighty nations
But who’s crazy enough to risk annihilation?
The buttons are there to ensure negotiation
So don’t be afraid, boy, it’s our only salvation
So over and over again, you keep sayin’ it’s the end
But I say you’re wrong, we’re just on the dawn of correction
You tell me that marches won’t bring integration
But look what it’s done for the voter registration
Be thankful our country allows demonstrations
Instead of condemnin’, make some recommendations
I don’t understand the cause of your aggravation
You mean to tell me, boy, it’s not a better situation?
So over and over again, you keep sayin’ it’s the end
But I say you’re wrong, we’re just on the dawn of correction
You missed all the good in your evaluation
What about the things that deserve commendation?
Where there once was no cure, there’s vaccination
Where there once was a desert, there’s vegetation
Self-government’s replacing colonization
What about the Peace Corp. organization?
Don’t forget the work of the United Nations
So over and over again, you keep sayin’ it’s the end
But I say you’re wrong, we’re just on the dawn of correction
But I say you’re wrong, we’re just on the dawn of correction
So over and over again, you keep sayin’ it’s the end
But I say you’re wrong, we’re just on the dawn of correction”
As an “answer song”, not quite up there with the various ones to Hank Ballard’s Annie songs.
In the immortal words of Capt Blackadder:
This is a crisis.
A large crisis.
In fact, if you got a moment, it’s a twelve-storey crisis with a magnificent entrance hall, carpeting throughout, 24-hour portage, and an enormous sign on the roof, saying ‘This Is a Large Crisis’.
A large crisis requires a large plan. Get me two pencils and a pair of underpants.