For those who were disappointed that I did not write about the party conventions I just want to say I'm sorry, the debates exhausted me. I offer the following political updates:
Alexandra Pelosi's film Meet the Donors, on HBO, includes interviews with a number of political donors. One is not surprised to hear that they all donate for the good of the country and not because they hope for anything for themselves, except perhaps a chance to give their opinions. One donor had hoped to be offered the job as head of the CIA by George W. Bush and instead was asked if he could take care of the Bush's cat while they were away. Since Citizens United and the spurning of federal financing by Obama and Romney in 2012 donations to presidential campaigns have increased considerably. The person who spends the most money doesn't always win, of course, and I have often wondered why more people don't do what I do, which is to research the candidate's records and speeches and vote for the person you think will do the best job. I agree with Edmund Burke that we should elect the person with the most integrity and intelligence, as well as the ability to think for themselves. The biggest problem is that not too many people of that caliber can make it through the primaries, designed as they are to promote demagoguery.
Jill Lepore has an excellent piece on the conventions in the Aug. 8 New Yorker, "The War and the Roses." About the Republican convention she says, "the rule inside the Convention was: Incite fear and division in order to call for safety and union." At the Democratic convention President Obama's speech was "as boundless in its optimism as Trump's was in its pessimism." As Lepore points our, some have faith in the People, some have faith in progress; both faiths can be misplaced.
Eliot Weinberger has a detailed piece in the July 28, 2016 London Review of Books, "They could have picked..." answers the question: why the world wonders, did the Republicans pick Donald Trump as the nominee when they had so many (in the words of Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus) "well-qualified candidates", including:
Rick Santorum: He says that a child conceived by rape is "a gift from God" and compared homosexuality to "man-on-dog" sex.
Rick Perry, who planned to eliminate three cabinet agencies but couldn't remember what they were.
Bobby Jindal, the former governor of Louisiana who bankrupted his state in an unsuccessful attempt to eliminate all personal and corporate taxes.
Carly Fiorina, who said concern about climate change was like worrying about the weather and repeatedly criticized a Planned Parenthood tape that nobody could produce a copy of.
Dr. Rand Paul, an isolationist who is opposed to the mandatory vaccination of children.
George Pataki, who came out of nowhere and disappeared as quickly.
Scott Walker, who said he could defeat ISIS because he had cut the education budget and stood up to teachers.
Jim Gilmore, who came and went before anyone knew who he was.
Chis Christie, the Tony Soprano of American politics, though not as effective as Tony.
Jeb Bush, "whose demeanour at the debates was described as that of an exasperated substitute teacher in front of a class of unruly high-schoolers."
Mike Huckabee, who says "gun control means you hit the target."
John Kasich, with "a long anti-union, anti-tax, pro-gun, pro-capital punishment, anti-mass transit, pro-impeachment of Bill Clinton, anti-voters' rights, anti-abortion, anti-environmental regulations. pro-privatization of prisons, pro-Creationism in science classes record."
Dr. Ben Carson, who "often seemed like he spent too much time in the hospital pharmacy."
Marco Rubio: "he seemed more like the popular mayor of a small Sunbelt city than a potential president."
Ted Cruz, "Even more than most politicians he suffers from messianic delusions."
Edmund Burke, where are you when we need you?
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