Courtesy of wikipedia.org
Only once in my life, and fairly recently, have I screamed at my television. The occasion was after Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic House Minority Leader, caved to House Republican demands on a budget issue. Criticized by members of the public and his fellow Democrats for his action, he responded with a shrug. “What else could I do? I have no power?”
Leaning toward the screen, I shouted. “Use your bully pulpit, Congressman! That’s what Bernie Sanders does.”
More recently, the news reported that Jeffries was holding private meetings with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. In the past, they’d worked together on prison reform. No doubt keeping communication channels open is a good thing. But his decision to do so seemed premature. He was behaving like the future House Speaker, even though the midterms are months away. Besides, if Democrats win a majority, his position as head of the caucus isn’t assured. Thus far, progressive members have been critical of his tepid leadership.
Democratic pundit James Carville minced no words about his disapproval of Jeffries’ action. …in the opinion of every Democrat in the United States, progressive, moderate, middle road, left, f—, I don’t know whatever you want, we believe one thing above all. These people [Republicans] are a pack of felons and traitors, and you do not meet with them.
Carville may be guilty of hyperbole, but Republicans don’t fall far from Donald Trump’s tree, the roots of which are diseased. For some time, doctors have questioned Trump’s sanity, for example. More recently, there’s been speculation that he suffers from an array of afflictions: Alzheimer’s, Lew body dementia, and Parkinson’s disease.
Like him, his handpicked Supreme Court members show evidence of similar dysfunction, so much so that, borrowing the words of Harry Potter’s Minerva McGonagall, their pronouncements resemble those of bumbling, babbling buffoons. For example, a couple of years ago, a majority decided to overturn Chevron deference. The policy required federal judges to consider government departmental rules before settling disputes. Now, judicial decisions are free of that obligation and can be based on other factors.
Or maybe they can’t. Chief Justice John Roberts revisited the issue when asked to stay Trump’s executive order limiting mail-in ballots. He rejected the appeal because the US Post Office had no rules regarding mail-in ballots. Without rules, he said no harm was done. And if there was no harm, there was no complaint.
Unfortunately, there were rules, written two days before Roberts considered the appeal. But the Chief Justice didn’t know that. The snafu raises a question that overshadows Chevron deference. It asks, “Does the left hand of government know what the right hand of government is doing?
Polls show that a majority of Americans accept that our government is in disarray. What’s becoming clearer is that political parties don’t matter. Both sides of the aisle are members of rich man’s club and, in the words of comedian George Carlin, the rest of us “ain’t in it.”
That awakening may explain why Democratic Socialism, which demands more wealth sharing, is taking hold in the voter’s imagination. If the Cavalry isn’t coming, we have to save freedom ourselves. To that end, here are more tidbits of PRACTICAL MAGIC:
*Prepare to vote: Contact https://866ourvote.org for free, nationwide information about polling places, the latest changes in hours and locations, or feel free to ask a question.
*Share the above link with friends.
*VOTE EARLY. I can’t encourage this enough.
*VOTE BY MAIL. Rural residents, take the slower postal delivery times into account.
* PRECINCT VOTING: Give a neighbor a lift to the polls.
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