I have a few thoughts I need to puke out before I can let this political season go. This post will not simply blast Trump. There very well may be things that'll piss everyone off. The running theme may just be I'm tired of all the whining....
1. A Country Divided- Do I think the country can really be healed in 4 years? No. I do though believe Joe Biden will actually try. Trump is the most narcissistic president in my lifetime. I can count on one hand (and that's a generous statement) the number of press conferences he didn't make some statement befitting a toddler. Yes, it's not unheard of for a politician to place blame on someone else, especially nowadays, but there is a difference between pointing out the opposing party is being obstructionist claiming people are being "unfair" to him. Life isn't fair. Get over it. He was given many opportunities to meaningfully tell white supremist groups and conspiracy theorists to fuck themselves and refused to do it for the sake of his "ratings" as he seems to think of them...
I should point out Trump should not get all the blame. He wasn't created in a vacuum. Provided they haven't died from poo-pooing CDC measures in the name of adolescent freedom, those elements still exist in our society. They elected Trump because they felt ignored. Just given all the white supremist rallies lately, it seems like that was probably a good things.
2. COVID-19- We are divided into the groups of people who rather be alive than employed and the opposite point of view. Back in June, I commented to my neurologist that there isn't one person that's an expert on both the economy and viral transmission. (I also commented that person would be pretty damn weird...). The problem with a commission, as I see it, is that those two issues have nuances. To cover all the bases, I think you need a minimum of 12 people which is unwieldy in person let alone over ZOOM. Aspects will fall by the wayside.
We shall see what happens when the new legislature convenes but other that maybe working out a second stimulus that Washington seems unable to agree to, the only COVID-related issues (which is the only way the GOP would return to Augusta) is to bitch that Mean Governor Mills won't let businesses kill people faster. By the way, did you notice the biggest whiner on my TV, Dana Dow, lost re-election? Coincidence?
3. Susan Collins- Both her personal campaign and the national backers made statements worth discussing here. Yes, Sara Gideon could have acted faster in dealing with the teacher/predator but the way the nation Republicans rammed that down out throats, you'd think Gideon was a pedophile herself. Again, nuances ignored.
The biggest accusations that pissed me off was from Susan's campaign herself. I don't know when York County became "The County South" but the lobsterman who basically claimed Sara must be lying because she's From Away? It's that antiquated notion that keeps our state as the oldest in the nation. Who gives a shit she's from RI? Many of the best Mainers I know (That embody the lyrics of "The Maine Christmas Song") , including myself, weren't born here.
Collins was right in pointing out the outsides weren't really about Maine. Unless I missed something, voting her out was the only way Mainers could remove Mitch McConnell. However, there was certainly reasons Mainers wanted her out. (Her own ads point out "she'll never change...") I will concede she will probably will be more willing to work with Biden than many of her colleagues. I feel having a Republican White House and Senate allowed moderates a breather. To push the blame up the chain if need be but will work together if they really have to...
Oh, does anyone really care about her prefect attendance? Sure, it's interesting trivia and, yes, even I was amused that only she and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski came to work during a blizzard in DC but...
4. The Progressive Movement- I'm generally in favor of moving our country into the future but this election showed me two problems with how it's being pushed. The argument that "every other country is doing it" will never sway "America First" peeps. Another issue also came up: Cubans and generation memory. We know socialism (and I'm not even talking about communism) on paper and in practice are two different things but what influences you more? the written word or your grandparents' experience? I could be wrong, but, Social Security and Medicare used a "rip the band-aid off" approach. Starting with a public health care option is a great start, I think...
5. Third Party- I think ranked-choice in every state is probably the only way for third party candidates to make big difference and not be seen as a spoiler. Of course, they must also be included in every debate. Also, national backed ads should probably stop. The ads this season for both Democrats and Republicans were the most annoying for me. Did they add anything that Gideon and Collins ads didn't convey themselves? No.
That all said, I feel that there's something else also missing and needs more thought...
Thank you for letting me vent....
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