August Politics

Aug 22, 2024  |  587 words  |  Politics  

I have no notes from the front to offer this week, since all the important speeches at the Democratic National Convention don’t start until way past my bedtime. And next-day YouTube snippets of highlights (or lowlights) are just not the same.

Though I was disappointed to hear James Taylor was bumped from Tuesday night’s line-up. And then on Wednesday night Stevie Wonder was replaced at the last minute by a young female singer introduced grandly as a “legend,” who is also “one of America’s greatest gifts.” But her name was unrecognizable to me. Looks like I am a bit out of touch when it comes to contemporary musicians who qualify as legends.

As for this month’s rendition of retail presidential politics, things are continuing apace. Kamala Harris is keeping things simple and sticking to the basics. Expressing lots of warmth and charm, while occasionally lobbying a by-now well-established barb at her unflinching opponent. Maybe after Labor Day she will roll out some specific policy positions. Maybe she is holding her fire for the big televised debate coming in September.

Donald Trump for his part is the very definition of a one-trick pony, so by rights we should all be bored by now. But it continues to be hard not to slow down and look at a car crash. 

A Trump promotional piece arrived in yesterday’s mail, announcing nine special policy initiatives we should expect to see should he win back the White House. Number five is “Rebuild our cities.” That’s it: just those three words. How’s that for efficiency!

Mr. Trump and his handlers are adept at coming up with “lowest common denominator” appeals. A highway billboard I pass every morning on the way to work has landed on an eye-catching format. The name TRUMP spelled out in giant letters against a dark blue background, and underneath just a short phrase. Once day it reads “Law and Order.” The next day, “Putting Families First.” Then there was the always popular “Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.” This morning it read “Fighting for Justice and Equality.”

I guess if the Kamala campaign could afford that same billboard her people might put up equally inane slogans. That such hard-hitting ‘messages’ are now the key to winning elections is an expression of our predicament. It is daunting for politicians to address complex, sophisticated issues with a broad cross-section of the population, and it is equally daunting for us to listen to and comprehend such dense communication.

Since every aspect of life, every field of endeavor, is a complicated stew, our ongoing challenge as individuals is marshalling the attention span – or “bandwidth,” as it is known in today’s parlance  – needed to seek out more than just easy-to-digest infotainment when it comes to current affairs, so we can act responsibly and be legitimate participants in this democracy.

Once our improved bandwidth is on display our candidates may be willing to rise above lowest common denominator appeals and attempt a slightly more detailed dissemination of their ideas. We might get more substance, and less posturing or pandering. Fewer rallies, and more position papers. 

But first we must demonstrate we are willing to put the work into paying attention, instead of defaulting to simply being entertained. And what an odd form of entertainment it is: Submitting to and indulging in this repeated stoking of our political passions in short targeted bursts, before comfortably settling back into our daily routines. All while accusing our politicians of being superficial and lacking integrity.

Robert J. Cavanaugh, Jr.

www.robertjcavanaughjr.com

bobcavjr@gmail.com

Here’s Kamala!

July 24, 2024  |  73 words  |  Politics  

It feels like the country woke up Monday morning and breathed a collective sigh of relief, after President Biden finally agreed to step aside the day before.  Now, after only a day or two on the campaign trail it seems Kamala Harris has pulled the sword from the stone and is ready to be King.  Or Queen, as the case may be.

This election just got a lot more interesting, don’t you think?

Robert J. Cavanaugh, Jr.

www.robertjcavanaughjr.com

bobcavjr@gmail.com

J.D. Vance Rewrites History

July 18, 2024  |  473 words  |  Politics  

The speech J.D. Vance delivered at last night’s Republican National Convention demonstrated an ability to master a big moment.  He was obviously at ease; he took his time and made his points while engaging his audience with a requisite amount of charm.  Though it would have been a more effective presentation if he could have managed to tighten things up a bit.

Since the June 13 interview Mr. Vance did with Ross Douthat of The New York Times, I find myself wondering why so many well-known commentators are labeling Vance “a hollow person of little conviction” who is willing to say anything to get ahead.  I find him to be the exact opposite of that.

In fact, as others have noted, it seems to me that where Donald Trump has barely-articulated instincts, Vance has actual ideas.  Mr. Vance is able, unlike Trump, to put some meat on the bone, so to speak, when it comes to policy.

But I did get a kick out of the way J.D. Vance re-wrote history at times last night, such as when he blamed “Biden-back policies” for sending our jobs overseas and our children to war.  

If memory serves NAFTA was a long-advanced initiative favored by Republicans in their ‘global trade’ mode, while finally receiving bi-partisan support in 1992 from President Bill Clinton and other Democrats like Senator Biden, who has always prided himself on “working across the aisle.’  

Ditto the 1979 bi-lateral trade agreement with China, and most especially ditto the 2003 Invasion of Iraq.  We must surely all remember that particular ‘military intervention’ was the special project of a Republican administration that talked the country into the existence of a fathom cache of “weapons of mass destruction,” after which the voices resisting the subsequent invasion were few and far between.

Beyond that though, the economic populism Mr. Vance is attempting to promote has great appeal to me, even if it is clearly at odds with what Republicans have always taken to be gospel truth on economic policy.

To suggest as Vance did last night that the next Trump administration would not “cater to Wall Street” and would instead “commit to the working man” strains credibility.  Or that the last Trump administration “created the greatest economy in history for workers.”  Maybe I missed something, but I thought all Trump did last time was pass the largest tax cut in history for the wealthiest Americans, one that made certain members of that club, like Warren Buffet, blush at the largesse.

But I do agree with J. D. Vance’s assertion from the podium that “Wall Street barons crashed the economy” in 2008.  To repeat, I am a big fan of the ‘economic populism’ he is trying to introduce into the discussion.  I just think he will have an uphill battle doing so within the confines of the Republican Party. 

Robert J. Cavanaugh, Jr.

www.robertjcavanaughjr.com

bobcavjr@gmail.com

Accommodating Biden’s Decline

July 6, 2024  |  887 words  |  Politics  

President Biden did an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that was broadcast last night, one week after his disastrous debate performance.  He again sounded tired, looked weak, and gave less-than-cogent answers.  So instead of quelling concerns, it prompted a fresh round of calls for him to suspend his campaign for re-election.

Maybe the most charitable thing one can say about Mr. Biden at this point is that he is teetering dangerously close to his expiration date as an effective public official.

So just to be clear, I agree with everyone who is pleading for President Biden to reconsider his decision to run again, for the good of the country and the future of democracy.  And if in the eleventh hour he does finally change his mind I will be pulling for the Democrats to figure this thing out with a different nominee at the top of the ticket.  Because you can mark me down as being firmly in the “anybody but Trump” camp.

But I guess I am a bit impatient about all this and do not want to spend any more time talking about how things should never have gotten to this point, that Mr. Biden’s decline has been apparent for the better part of two years, and in recognition of that decline he should have been more circumspect when deciding to seek a second term.  

I agree with all that.  And I agree the president’s current condition puts Democrats between a rock and a hard place:  Risk handing the election to Trump by sticking with an obviously diminished Joe Biden.  Or risk the same result by convincing Mr. Biden to step aside in a last-minute attempt to unearth a brand-new candidate at what could end up being a chaotic nominating convention in August.

But given that Biden continues to state unequivocally he has no plans to step aside, maybe we should be focusing on just what will be required to accommodate his physical and cognitive decline, should he manage to get himself re-elected.  Doing so does not amount to denying that decline.  Nor does it equate to defending that decline.  

For me this is only an exercise in dealing with the reality of President Biden’s refusal to stop.  Since he has already won the delegates he needs to secure the nomination, it’s his call.

So then, should he win re-election he will need to surround himself with a cracker-jack inner circle who can bring out his best while shielding him from public encounters he can no longer navigate as deftly as he once did.  

This “shielding” has already started, of course, and has lately been reported on in dire tones, as if his staff has been surreptitiously keeping something from the American people.  But isn’t this what all staffs do?  Don’t all politicians have certain strengths and certain weaknesses?

To have a successful second term an obviously over-the-hill President Biden will need to appoint top-flight people through his administration.  But can’t the same be said of any leader of a large organization?

It has recently come to light that Mr. Biden is only sharp between the hours of 10:00 am and 4:00 pm.  The wonderful Peggy Noonan quipped in this morning’s Wall Street Journal that world leaders like Xi Jinping and Putin will no doubt limit any future aggression to 12:00 noon eastern standard time, to accommodate our faltering President’s limited schedule. 

While this is a funny and clever remark, let us all remember Ms. Noonan cut her teeth as a speechwriter for Ronald Reagan, a highly-regarded former president famous for his afternoon naps and knocking off work at 5:30 pm every day.

Let us also keep in mind the same world leaders we are being told have noticed Mr. Biden’s obvious slippage since just last summer will be the first to comment on how our next president does not know his/her way around foreign affairs half as well as the last guy did.  Even though that last guy was an old geezer operating at less-than-full capacity.

I agree with Ms. Noonan that the very things his advisors are telling Biden to do to dispel the doubts – lots of interactive appearances, town halls, tons of interviews – are things he is no longer capable of doing as crisply as he once did.  But I do not view such appearances as prerequisites for winning my support in the context of the upcoming election: Trump versus Biden.  

And just as a side note, these older people we keep electing to high public office are not bionic.  There is only so much energy a person in their 60s and 70s – let alone 80s – can muster, no matter how well they tend to their health or how inspired they may be by their job.

To sum up, I wish Joe Biden was not at the top of the ticket this time around.  But as it has been pointed out many times before, the presidency is not a one-man show.  

I am prepared to vote for Mr. Biden again, because I will be voting for the totality of the Biden administration, which I think has had a largely successful first term and is headed in the right direction on many fronts.  And, because I have seen quite enough of Donald J. Trump, thank you very much.

Robert J. Cavanaugh, Jr.

www.robertjcavanaughjr.com

bobcavjr@gmail.com

Biden Will Be Fine

July 1, 2024  |  757 words  |  Politics  

President Biden’s performance at last Thursday night’s debate was so bad it prompted immediate calls for him to step down from the ticket, for the good of the country.  But by the very next day he had made a full recovery. Appearing at a rally of supporters on Friday he looked and sounded like a different man.

There was an attempt by his handlers mid-way through the debate to deflect attention away from what was happening by tweeting out the President was just recovering from a cold.  While that may have been true, it didn’t make any viewer feel better about what they were watching.

My own theory on this, which I expressed during the debate and then had reinforced by his rally performance the next day, is that the debate simply started too late for President Biden’s own good.  It was way past his bedtime.  I am not trying to be funny here.  As someone who likes to go to bed early myself, the 9:00-10:30 pm time slot is not when some of us are at our interactional best.

So why didn’t he take a nap Thursday afternoon, is the obvious question.  Well, as we all know, sometimes it is hard to nap, even when you know you’ll need the extra rest to get through an evening’s obligations.

For me the lively rally appearance on Friday renders Mr. Biden’s mumbling, deer-in-the-headlights performance the night before moot.  But I realize not everyone is going to feel that way.  Especially not the name-brand commentators and blue-chip editorial boards who came out four-square against him on Friday morning, before he got to the rally.

From a practical standpoint, I am not sure who the chorus of critics think could possibly step forward at this point to replace the President at the top of the ticket.  For better or worse, folks, this is it:  Biden or Trump.

As excruciating as it was to watch, the debate did not show us anything we didn’t already know.  Mr. Biden has unfortunately deteriorated to the point where he occasionally slurs his words, loses his train of thought, and is slow in his gait and in his response-time.  

It’s just that seeing all those troubling attributes together at one time over the course of 90 minutes, on a prime-time debate stage, was unnerving to say the least.  But his first term has been largely successful, and I think his administration is headed in the right direction on many fronts.  

His challenger, on the other hand, strikes me as all bluster and bullshit.  Donald Trump is like a lot of successful guys in business, expecting to power his was through any sort of complication by the sheer force of his personality.  

Out of respect for the tens of millions of people who are prepared to vote for him, I acknowledge Trump has struck a nerve among the electorate and is impressing many people with what they consider to be a no-frills, can-do approach to domestic and international concerns.

But I don’t see the appeal.  Especially when watching Mr. Trump attempt to respond to serious questions over the course of 90 minutes, as opposed to performing his carnival act before an adoring crowd.  What struck me about his debate performance was that the longer it went, the more he seemed to unravel and make stuff up.  

Listening to him champion the accomplishments of his 2017-2020 term and brag about the intractable problems he will magically solve even before taking office for his second term, it reminded me that as a big-time real estate developer, all Donald Trump knows is ‘selling’:  Currying the favor of investors and regulators.  Anyone who can either facilitate his ambitions or thwart them.  

While I suppose the same can be said of any successful politician, unlike most legitimate pols I don’t think Mr. Trump has ever had any coherent policy proscriptions up his sleeve.  It’s as though he only got into politics because certain high-level elected officials were starting to openly ridicule what he had become.  (I am remembering President Obama, for one, doing so at a White House Correspondents Dinner over a decade ago.)  

Having turned into a national punch line is something that irked the publicity-obsessed Trump no end.  He became determined to change the narrative and put his detractors in their place – by showing he could do a better job of running the country than any of them.

Given the choice before us I will have no trouble voting to re-elect the aged and increasingly infirm Joe Biden.  

Robert J. Cavanaugh, Jr.

www.robertjcavanaughjr.com

bobcavjr@gmail.com