It's not about policy this time

This election is not about policy this time.  It’s about the battle between democracy and despotism. Many life long Republicans know this and are voting for Biden in order to save the American experiment of democracy even though they don't like the policy.

It’s about whether America survives as a democratic Republic, or if it degenerates into an authoritarian dictatorship. It’s about whether Americans choose America’s destiny or whether Putin continues to direct his puppet in the White House to destroy America, destroy democracy, and destroy America’s leadership in the world.

As I wrote in earlier posts this last week, under Donald Trump and his craven Republican Party, America has abandoned decency, abandoned science, abandoned the rule of law, and abandoned its leadership standing in the world. 

And, oh yes, it has sickened and killed probably four or five times as many as would have been sickened and killed because of their refusal to lead a nationwide, world wide, federally led response to COVID-19.

It is time to renew America, renew America’s goodness, renew America’s actual greatness.

The leader makes a difference

A few decades back, a friend of mine was upset that his manager was losing his job.  He was ranting and raving about what a big mistake upper management was making in not realizing what a good job his soon to be departed manager was doing.  That manager calmed him down and told him not to worry, both of them would be just fine.  He would find a new job and do fine.  And my friend would have a new boss and all would be well.

He said that a manager was like putting a hand in a bucket of water.  The hand is in the bucket and the water rises to a certain level.  Take that hand out and replace it with a different hand and the water rises again to a new level, maybe not quite as high, maybe about the same, maybe higher. He said that it doesn’t really matter whose hand is in the bucket. 

Well, I thought that was true for quite some time, but with Donald Trump as president it has been vividly proven to me that the hand in the bucket theory is not always true.  It is probably true for middle management in a corporation, but we have seen that this president has gone a long way to destroying so much of America and America’s influence and leadership in the world – loss of decency, turning away from science, attacking the rule of law, failing to handle a pandemic, and withdrawing American leadership in the world. 

The person at the top can sometimes make a huge difference. 

In the private sector another example might be Steve Jobs and Apple – after he was let go the company floundered and was failing.  When he came back in he got it focused and visionary again.  And can there be any doubt that Elon Musk is not replaceable at Tesla? 

So, I no longer am able to take comfort in the idea that different hands in the bucket don’t make all that much difference.  The current hand in the American bucket is there with a drill to poke holes and drain the bucket.

Plug the leak.  Vote for Biden, please.

 

Time for the renewal of America's goodness

Please vote and end this dark descent into the dystopia of the last four years.  Please stand up for decency, for the rule of law, for science, and for American leadership in the world.

It’s important.

Time for the renewal of American leadership in the world

It is time to renew America.  It is time to renew America’s leadership in the world.  This president and his isolationist and anti-science, anti-diplomacy, anti-Federal Government Republican cult have tried too destroy America and destroy the world order put together by America and its allies after WWII.

He refused to lead a national, Federal response to the deadly COVID-19 pandemic in America, and was totally missing in action in the need to lead a worldwide response to the disease.  Why?

He withdrew from the Trans Pacific Partnership which America had put together with the purpose of having America rather than China have the main influence in trade and business in the Far East.  We left.  China stepped in.  Why? 

He withdrew from NAFTA and reinstated some Trump copy of it for trade in the Americas.  Why?

He withdrew from the Iran Nuclear treaty that joined with Western allies to control Iran’s nuclear ambitions.  Why?

He attacked and weakened NATO, our alliance with Europe in defense against the Soviet Union and now against Russia.  Why?

Why? Three reasons by my reckoning.

First, these things were done by Obama and like an 8 year old child he just wants to undo everything that Obama touched because he is mad at Obama. Plus, of course he thinks he is much better than Obama because he is white and Obama is black.

Second, he is just a stupid and ignorant man who knows nothing of history, nothing of government, nothing of foreign relations, and nothing of American values and ideals.  And he egotistically actually thinks he doesn’t need to learn and that he knows more than anyone who tries to educate him.

But most importantly, he has clearly been doing the work that his Russian master, Vladimir Putin, demanded of him – to destroy American democracy and destroy American leadership in the world.  Putin has been trying to destroy American world leadership and American democracy ever since he took over Russia.  He sees the collapse of the Soviet Union as a world shattering catastrophe, and in Trump he found someone he could blackmail, or just fool, into destroying America.  It is pretty likely that Putin and his Russian Oligarchy used Trump to money launder huge sums of money for many years, and it is clear that Putin can present the proof that will have Trump die in prison.  Pretty strong blackmail stuff.  He is Putin’s puppet.

And, by the way, he waged a trade war with China, which hurt American farming and business.  This one is pretty clear as to why – this ignoramus actually thinks trade deficits hurt America, and no amount of education and reasoning will get him to listen. He is just a bullheaded and stupid man.  He didn’t need Putin to tell him to do this one, he did this one on his own ignorance.