truthout--2020-12-14--As COVID Rages, We Are Experiencing Mass Abandonment Amid Abundance

Martin Luther King , Jr. , offered this all-too-relevant comment on his moment in his 1967 speech “ Where Do We Go from Here : Chaos or Community ?
” : King concluded that American society was degrading human life by clinging to old thinking rather than turning to bold , visionary solutions — words that ( sadly enough ) ring even truer in our day than in his .
In late October as the coronavirus pandemic raged , the Economic Policy Institute released a study showing that it isn ’ t just morally right but an economic necessity to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fast .
“ If America does not address what ’ s happening with visionary social and economic policy , ” as that study put it , “ the health and well-being of the nation are at stake .
What we need is long-term economic policy that establishes justice , promotes the general welfare , rejects decades of austerity , and builds strong social programs that lift society from below.
” Even as , almost two months later , we remain trapped in an unprecedented crisis of spreading illness , there is increasingly clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make other choices , we would no longer need to live burdened by the social ills of old .
Oddly enough , because of the Covid-19 crisis , we ’ re being reminded ( or at least should be reminded ) that , in reality , solutions to many of the most pressing issues of our day are readily at hand if those issues were prioritized and the attention and resources of society directed toward them .
In a moment overflowing with lessons , one of the least discussed is that scarcity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used to cover up vast reserves of capital and technology facilitating the enrichment of the few and justifying the pain and dispossession of so many others .
Our present reality could perhaps best be described as mass abandonment amid abundance .
Indeed , the myth of scarcity , like other neoliberal fantasies , is regularly ignored when politically expedient and conjured up when the rich and powerful need help .
The pandemic has been no exception .
Over the last nine months , the wealth of American billionaires has actually increased by a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even as tens of millions of Americans have filed for unemployment and more evictions loom than ever before in U.S. history .
Now , politicians in Washington are haggling over a “ compromise ” relief bill that offers little in the way of actual relief , especially for those suffering the most .
At the same time , with the health of everyone , not just the poor and marginalized , at risk , the government has proven itself remarkably capable of mobilizing the necessary resources for decisive and historic action when it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record time .
That the same could be done when it comes to protecting the most vulnerable and abolishing poverty should be obvious , if only the nation saw that , too , as a crisis worthy of attention .
Where There ’ s a Will , There ’ s a Way In 1918 , with an influenza pandemic raging in the United States , cities closed down and doctors prescribed painkillers like aspirin as a national debate ( remarkably similar to the present one ) raged over the necessity of quarantine and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country simply had to wait for those who were infected to die or develop immunity .
Before it was over ( in a far less populous land ) , at least 675,000 Americans perished , more than in every one of our wars since the Civil War combined .
A century later , when the Covid-19 pandemic exploded this March , the country ground to a similar terrifying halt , but under different conditions : for one thing , the shutdown was accompanied by the promise that the government would invest billions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far faster than any ever before .
Nine months later , after the Trump administration had funneled those billions into research and had guaranteed the manufacture and purchase of viable vaccines ( radically reducing the business risk to pharmaceutical companies in the process ) , it appears that we are indeed there .
Last month , multiple companies released trial data for just such vaccines that seem to be nearly 95 % effective ; and Great Britain has , in fact , just rolled out the first doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday , the Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer ’ s vaccine for emergency use .
A long list of grave questions remains when it comes to the oversight of , and accountability of , those private companies that now hold the health of the world in their hands .
Already , the British government has granted Pfizer , which stands to earn billions by beating the competition to market , legal indemnity from any complications that may arise from its vaccine , and the Trump administration has made similar agreements .
Much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how American-produced vaccines will be fairly distributed , here and across the world , and whether they will be safe , effective , and free .
( I recently signed onto a public letter to the incoming Biden administration calling for a “ people ’ s vaccine.
” ) Still , it does seem that the historic speed with which this novel virus could eventually be curbed by just such a vaccine ( or set of them ) is likely to prove astonishing .
Historically , on average , successful vaccines have taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Until now , the fastest effective one ever produced was the mumps vaccine and that took four years .
Nearly as remarkable is how so many people have received the news of the coming of those coronavirus vaccines as if it were the norm .
If anything , in a time of constant , rapid technological revolution , there ’ s a noticeable impatience , stoked by Donald Trump and others , that it ’ s taken this long .
The Covid-19 vaccine experience does show one thing , however — what can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country are marshalled to immediately address a crisis-level issue .
Imagine if the same approach were taken when it came to systemic racism , climate change , or the poverty that has only deepened in the midst of the pandemic crisis .
Indeed , if the political will were there , Americans could clearly tackle massive problems like hunger and homelessness no less effectively than developing a vaccine , instead of spending millions of dollars on cruel attempts to drive the homeless away by redesigning park benches and other urban architecture to repel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all , in cities like San Francisco , where homelessness is rampant , there are more vacant houses than there are homeless people .
Although the politics of austerity generally reign supreme on both sides of the aisle in Congress ( especially when it comes to antipoverty programs like welfare ) , it ’ s also true that public spending is regularly and abundantly martialed to solve issues that affect certain parts of society — namely , the private sector and the military .
From subsidies to major companies like big agriculture to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Valley to public university research that benefits private industry , funding from the state is often the invisible backbone of American business operations and advances .
Likewise , spending on the military makes up more than half of the federal discretionary budget , funding everything from the 800 American military bases that circle the planet to expensive and risky new technologies and war machines .
Back in March , the writer Arundhati Roy spoke of the pandemic as “ a portal.
” She was perhaps suggesting that the widespread suffering caused by Covid-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in which we humans might begin to treat ourselves and the planet with greater devotion .
In another sense , however , the pandemic has also been a portal into our past , a way of showing us the conditions that have laid the groundwork not just for the devastation that now consumes us but for possibly far worse to come .
No one could have expected this exact crisis at this exact moment in exactly this way .
Yet , before Covid-19 , society was already teetering under the weight of poverty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at history offers clues as to why the United States now has the highest Covid-19 case tally and death toll in the world .
Too many have died because our country ’ s preexisting conditions of systemic injustice have gone untreated for so long and those in power never seem to learn the applicable lesson of this moment : pandemics spread along the fissures of society , both exposing them more and deepening them further .
Before Covid-19 , there were already 140 million people in this country who were poor or a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , accident , illness , or storm — away from poverty .
Across America that meant close to 80 million people were uninsured or underinsured , 60 million people had zero ( zero ! )
wealth other than the value of a family car , more than a million people were defaulting on federal student loans annually , and more than 62 million workers were making less than $ 15 an hour , with more than two million in Florida alone making only $ 7.25 an hour , the federal minimum wage .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ down a nightmarish list .
For Pamela Sue Rush and about 1.5 million other people , it meant a lack of access to piped water and sewage systems .
Before Pamela , who is Black , contracted Covid-19 and died in July , she lived in a mobile home in Lowndes County , Alabama , where human waste festered in her backyard because she didn ’ t have proper plumbing , and in a state that still hasn ’ t expanded Medicaid , and in a country that has no federal guarantee of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may have been the immediate cause of her death , but the underlying one was racism and poverty .
During these pandemic months , a popular notion has been that the virus is a great equalizer because everyone is susceptible .
Yet the human and economic toll has been anything but equal across society .
It will take more time to find out just what the mortality rate among the poor has been , but it ’ s already clear that those of us with compromised immune systems , disproportionately poor and people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of hospitalization and death from the coronavirus , and early reports suggest that poorer counties have higher death rates .
An unsurprising but alarming new study found that more than 400,000 Covid-19 cases are associated with the lifting of eviction moratoriums , forcing people out of the safety of their homes ; such numbers will only worsen this winter as evictions continue , if such moratoriums aren ’ t extended into the new year .
Beyond the toll of the virus itself , the economic fallout has been devastating for the poor .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ fallen below the federal poverty line since March ( although that measure is an old and broken standard ) .
The true numbers are undoubtedly far higher .
The last 38 weeks have seen unemployment claims greater than the worst week of the Great Recession of 2007-2008 .
Some economists are now talking about a possible quick bounce back once the virus is controlled and yet the long-term damage is only beginning to reveal itself .
After all , 10 years after the Great Recession , a time when little in the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority of workers had still not recovered from it .
That this crisis is already significantly deeper and wider should give us pause as we consider what the next decade will look like if this country doesn ’ t alter its bleak course .
The fissures in our society were vast before Covid-19 hit and they ’ ve only broadened .
A vaccine will address the most visible of them , but we as a nation will continue to stumble from crisis to crisis until we learn the most important lesson this moment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will only heal as a society when every person ’ s needs are met .
In a pandemic , one person without food , water , healthcare , or housing puts everyone at risk .
The same is , in fact , true in non-pandemic times , for a society riven by poverty and deprivation will always be unstable and vulnerable .
Martin Luther King once told a crowd in St. Louis that “ we must learn to live as brothers or perish together as fools.
” Today , the balance is tipping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress painfully debates a thoroughly anemic relief bill that promises little for most Americans and sets a dangerous precedent for the coming months .
In a recent letter to Joe Manchin , the self-proclaimed “ centrist ” senator from West Virginia , Reverend William Barber II ( my co-chair on the Poor People ’ s Campaign ) wrote : Indeed , the most important things to note in the coming stimulus bill are these : it protects corporations ( that have not protected their workers ) from any accountability or legal responsibility ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not the rest of us , with no provisions for stimulus checks and insufficient funding to states and municipalities ; it lowers unemployment benefits to $ 300 per week ( based on wages of $ 7.50 an hour ) rather than $ 600 per week ( based on $ 15 an hour ) ; it is not only significantly less than the nation needs , but less than what was on offer months ago .
The cynicism of this relief bill lies in the way it diminishes life for political gain and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this is the most that ’ s available to us , the best the nation can do .
Call it a cruel stroke of history that Congress should be deliberating on the welfare of millions only a few weeks before Christmas , especially since so many of the key players call themselves “ Christians.
” This holiday season and the winter beyond it promise to be a long , dark portal to who knows where , as temperatures drop , Covid-19 cases continue to rise , and poverty and homelessness are transformed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The timing of Congress ’ s new “ relief ” bill is particularly wicked if , as a Christian , you were to remember the details of Jesus ’ s birth in that manger in Bethlehem .
After all , he was born a homeless refugee to an unmarried teenage mother and had to flee to Egypt with his family as a baby because the ruling authorities already deemed that this poor Palestinian Jewish boy would grow up to be a threat to the established order of injustice .
But the powers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only ones who mattered .
There were always those who recognized in his birth that , to right the wrongs of society , to protect the lives of countless innocent victims , another way was possible , if society started with the poor and marginalized , not with those already full to the brim .
It ’ s too bad that some of the congressional representatives who call themselves Christian are so unwilling to take a moment to consider the homeless revolutionary who was long ago sent to lead a moral movement from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story of Christmas celebrates the birth of a poor , brown-skinned leader who , in the Gospel of Luke , is born to “ scatter those who are proud , bring down rulers from their thrones , but lift up the humble .
He fills the hungry with good things but sends the rich away empty.
” In a time when more children are on the brink of being born into poverty , homelessness , and state-sanctioned violence , rather than , as Martin Luther King , Jr. said , “ compress our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wealthy and corporations , Americans would do well to recognize that scarcity could vanish and that it ’ s time to address systemic inequality .

Martin Luther King, Jr., offered this all-too-relevant comment on his moment in his 1967 speech “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?”:
“The contemporary tendency in our society is to base our distribution on scarcity, which has vanished, and to compress our abundance into the overfed mouths of the upper classes until they gag with superfluity. If democracy is to have breadth of meaning, it is necessary to adjust this inequity. It is not only moral, but it is also intelligent.”
King concluded that American society was degrading human life by clinging to old thinking rather than turning to bold, visionary solutions — words that (sadly enough) ring even truer in our day than in his.
In late October as the coronavirus pandemic raged, the Economic Policy Institute released a study showing that it isn’t just morally right but an economic necessity to deal with poverty in this country and fast. “If America does not address what’s happening with visionary social and economic policy,” as that study put it, “the health and well-being of the nation are at stake. What we need is long-term economic policy that establishes justice, promotes the general welfare, rejects decades of austerity, and builds strong social programs that lift society from below.”
Even as, almost two months later, we remain trapped in an unprecedented crisis of spreading illness, there is increasingly clear evidence that, were those in power to make other choices, we would no longer need to live burdened by the social ills of old. Oddly enough, because of the Covid-19 crisis, we’re being reminded (or at least should be reminded) that, in reality, solutions to many of the most pressing issues of our day are readily at hand if those issues were prioritized and the attention and resources of society directed toward them. In a moment overflowing with lessons, one of the least discussed is that scarcity is a lie, a political invention used to cover up vast reserves of capital and technology facilitating the enrichment of the few and justifying the pain and dispossession of so many others. Our present reality could perhaps best be described as mass abandonment amid abundance.
Indeed, the myth of scarcity, like other neoliberal fantasies, is regularly ignored when politically expedient and conjured up when the rich and powerful need help. The pandemic has been no exception. Over the last nine months, the wealth of American billionaires has actually increased by a third to nearly $4 trillion, even as tens of millions of Americans have filed for unemployment and more evictions loom than ever before in U.S. history. Now, politicians in Washington are haggling over a “compromise” relief bill that offers little in the way of actual relief, especially for those suffering the most.
At the same time, with the health of everyone, not just the poor and marginalized, at risk, the government has proven itself remarkably capable of mobilizing the necessary resources for decisive and historic action when it comes to producing a Covid-19 vaccine in record time. That the same could be done when it comes to protecting the most vulnerable and abolishing poverty should be obvious, if only the nation saw that, too, as a crisis worthy of attention.
Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way
In 1918, with an influenza pandemic raging in the United States, cities closed down and doctors prescribed painkillers like aspirin as a national debate (remarkably similar to the present one) raged over the necessity of quarantine and masks. At that time, the country simply had to wait for those who were infected to die or develop immunity. Before it was over (in a far less populous land), at least 675,000 Americans perished, more than in every one of our wars since the Civil War combined.
A century later, when the Covid-19 pandemic exploded this March, the country ground to a similar terrifying halt, but under different conditions: for one thing, the shutdown was accompanied by the promise that the government would invest billions of dollars in a potentially successful vaccine produced far faster than any ever before. Nine months later, after the Trump administration had funneled those billions into research and had guaranteed the manufacture and purchase of viable vaccines (radically reducing the business risk to pharmaceutical companies in the process), it appears that we are indeed there. Last month, multiple companies released trial data for just such vaccines that seem to be nearly 95% effective; and Great Britain has, in fact, just rolled out the first doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine with the U.S. not far behind. On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer’s vaccine for emergency use.
A long list of grave questions remains when it comes to the oversight of, and accountability of, those private companies that now hold the health of the world in their hands. Already, the British government has granted Pfizer, which stands to earn billions by beating the competition to market, legal indemnity from any complications that may arise from its vaccine, and the Trump administration has made similar agreements. Much also remains uncertain when it comes to how American-produced vaccines will be fairly distributed, here and across the world, and whether they will be safe, effective, and free. (I recently signed onto a public letter to the incoming Biden administration calling for a “people’s vaccine.”)
Still, it does seem that the historic speed with which this novel virus could eventually be curbed by just such a vaccine (or set of them) is likely to prove astonishing. Historically, on average, successful vaccines have taken 10 to 14 years to develop. Until now, the fastest effective one ever produced was the mumps vaccine and that took four years. Nearly as remarkable is how so many people have received the news of the coming of those coronavirus vaccines as if it were the norm. If anything, in a time of constant, rapid technological revolution, there’s a noticeable impatience, stoked by Donald Trump and others, that it’s taken this long.
The Covid-19 vaccine experience does show one thing, however — what can be done when the resources of this country are marshalled to immediately address a crisis-level issue. Imagine if the same approach were taken when it came to systemic racism, climate change, or the poverty that has only deepened in the midst of the pandemic crisis. Indeed, if the political will were there, Americans could clearly tackle massive problems like hunger and homelessness no less effectively than developing a vaccine, instead of spending millions of dollars on cruel attempts to drive the homeless away by redesigning park benches and other urban architecture to repel those with nowhere to stay. After all, in cities like San Francisco, where homelessness is rampant, there are more vacant houses than there are homeless people.
Although the politics of austerity generally reign supreme on both sides of the aisle in Congress (especially when it comes to antipoverty programs like welfare), it’s also true that public spending is regularly and abundantly martialed to solve issues that affect certain parts of society — namely, the private sector and the military. From subsidies to major companies like big agriculture to critical R&D expenditures for Silicon Valley to public university research that benefits private industry, funding from the state is often the invisible backbone of American business operations and advances. Likewise, spending on the military makes up more than half of the federal discretionary budget, funding everything from the 800 American military bases that circle the planet to expensive and risky new technologies and war machines.
Lessons From the Pandemic
Back in March, the writer Arundhati Roy spoke of the pandemic as “a portal.” She was perhaps suggesting that the widespread suffering caused by Covid-19 could open a doorway into a future in which we humans might begin to treat ourselves and the planet with greater devotion. In another sense, however, the pandemic has also been a portal into our past, a way of showing us the conditions that have laid the groundwork not just for the devastation that now consumes us but for possibly far worse to come.
No one could have expected this exact crisis at this exact moment in exactly this way. Yet, before Covid-19, society was already teetering under the weight of poverty and inequality, and a sober look at history offers clues as to why the United States now has the highest Covid-19 case tally and death toll in the world. Too many have died because our country’s preexisting conditions of systemic injustice have gone untreated for so long and those in power never seem to learn the applicable lesson of this moment: pandemics spread along the fissures of society, both exposing them more and deepening them further.
Before Covid-19, there were already 140 million people in this country who were poor or a $400 emergency — one job loss, accident, illness, or storm — away from poverty. Across America that meant close to 80 million people were uninsured or underinsured, 60 million people had zero (zero!) wealth other than the value of a family car, more than a million people were defaulting on federal student loans annually, and more than 62 million workers were making less than $15 an hour, with more than two million in Florida alone making only $7.25 an hour, the federal minimum wage. And that’s just to begin down a nightmarish list.
For Pamela Sue Rush and about 1.5 million other people, it meant a lack of access to piped water and sewage systems. Before Pamela, who is Black, contracted Covid-19 and died in July, she lived in a mobile home in Lowndes County, Alabama, where human waste festered in her backyard because she didn’t have proper plumbing, and in a state that still hasn’t expanded Medicaid, and in a country that has no federal guarantee of either healthcare or clean water. Covid-19 may have been the immediate cause of her death, but the underlying one was racism and poverty.
During these pandemic months, a popular notion has been that the virus is a great equalizer because everyone is susceptible. Yet the human and economic toll has been anything but equal across society. It will take more time to find out just what the mortality rate among the poor has been, but it’s already clear that those of us with compromised immune systems, disproportionately poor and people of color, are at greater risk of hospitalization and death from the coronavirus, and early reports suggest that poorer counties have higher death rates. An unsurprising but alarming new study found that more than 400,000 Covid-19 cases are associated with the lifting of eviction moratoriums, forcing people out of the safety of their homes; such numbers will only worsen this winter as evictions continue, if such moratoriums aren’t extended into the new year.
Beyond the toll of the virus itself, the economic fallout has been devastating for the poor. Between six and eight million people have fallen below the federal poverty line since March (although that measure is an old and broken standard). The true numbers are undoubtedly far higher. The last 38 weeks have seen unemployment claims greater than the worst week of the Great Recession of 2007-2008. Some economists are now talking about a possible quick bounce back once the virus is controlled and yet the long-term damage is only beginning to reveal itself. After all, 10 years after the Great Recession, a time when little in the way of long-term relief was provided, the majority of workers had still not recovered from it. That this crisis is already significantly deeper and wider should give us pause as we consider what the next decade will look like if this country doesn’t alter its bleak course.
The fissures in our society were vast before Covid-19 hit and they’ve only broadened. A vaccine will address the most visible of them, but we as a nation will continue to stumble from crisis to crisis until we learn the most important lesson this moment can teach: that our yet-to-be-United States will only heal as a society when every person’s needs are met. In a pandemic, one person without food, water, healthcare, or housing puts everyone at risk. The same is, in fact, true in non-pandemic times, for a society riven by poverty and deprivation will always be unstable and vulnerable.
Martin Luther King once told a crowd in St. Louis that “we must learn to live as brothers or perish together as fools.” Today, the balance is tipping perilously toward the latter category, as Congress painfully debates a thoroughly anemic relief bill that promises little for most Americans and sets a dangerous precedent for the coming months. In a recent letter to Joe Manchin, the self-proclaimed “centrist” senator from West Virginia, Reverend William Barber II (my co-chair on the Poor People’s Campaign) wrote:
“I am ashamed of this nation. I know you want to do the right thing, and Republicans are tying your hands, but please don’t call this a ‘centrist plan.’ It’s more cynical than centrist. It’s damn near criminal that millions are hurting, billionaires are getting richer, sick people are dying, poverty is expanding, and the Senate can’t do the right thing.”
Indeed, the most important things to note in the coming stimulus bill are these: it protects corporations (that have not protected their workers) from any accountability or legal responsibility; it continues to bail out the rich, not the rest of us, with no provisions for stimulus checks and insufficient funding to states and municipalities; it lowers unemployment benefits to $300 per week (based on wages of $7.50 an hour) rather than $600 per week (based on $15 an hour); it is not only significantly less than the nation needs, but less than what was on offer months ago. The cynicism of this relief bill lies in the way it diminishes life for political gain and corporate profit and in the false contention that this is the most that’s available to us, the best the nation can do.
The Ghosts of Christmas Present
Call it a cruel stroke of history that Congress should be deliberating on the welfare of millions only a few weeks before Christmas, especially since so many of the key players call themselves “Christians.” This holiday season and the winter beyond it promise to be a long, dark portal to who knows where, as temperatures drop, Covid-19 cases continue to rise, and poverty and homelessness are transformed into so many more death certificates. The timing of Congress’s new “relief” bill is particularly wicked if, as a Christian, you were to remember the details of Jesus’s birth in that manger in Bethlehem.
After all, he was born a homeless refugee to an unmarried teenage mother and had to flee to Egypt with his family as a baby because the ruling authorities already deemed that this poor Palestinian Jewish boy would grow up to be a threat to the established order of injustice. But the powers and principalities of his day were never the only ones who mattered. There were always those who recognized in his birth that, to right the wrongs of society, to protect the lives of countless innocent victims, another way was possible, if society started with the poor and marginalized, not with those already full to the brim.
It’s too bad that some of the congressional representatives who call themselves Christian are so unwilling to take a moment to consider the homeless revolutionary who was long ago sent to lead a moral movement from below. They should remember that the story of Christmas celebrates the birth of a poor, brown-skinned leader who, in the Gospel of Luke, is born to “scatter those who are proud, bring down rulers from their thrones, but lift up the humble. He fills the hungry with good things but sends the rich away empty.”
In a time when more children are on the brink of being born into poverty, homelessness, and state-sanctioned violence, rather than, as Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “compress our abundance into the overfed mouths” of the wealthy and corporations, Americans would do well to recognize that scarcity could vanish and that it’s time to address systemic inequality.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
To stay on top of important articles like these, sign up to receive the latest updates from TomDispatch.com here.


truthout--2020-12-14--World Is “Speeding in the Wrong Direction” on Climate, Says Greta Thunberg

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg , who launched the global Fridays for Future youth climate movement , issued a stark warning on the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement that the world is not doing enough to keep global heating below 2 degrees Celsius — the target set in the landmark 2015 deal .
“ The gap between what we need to do and what is actually being done is widening by the minute .
We are still speeding in the wrong direction , ” Thunberg said in a video message posted on social media .
This is a rush @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has urged world leaders to declare a state of emergency over the climate crisis .
His call came on Saturday during a virtual climate summit to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris climate accord .
SECRETARY–GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES : Five years after Paris , we are still not going in the right direction .
Paris promised to limit temperature rise to as close as to 1.5 degrees as possible .
But the commitments made in Paris were far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even those commitments are not being met .
Carbon dioxide levels are at record highs .
Today we are 1.2 degrees hotter than before the Industrial Revolution .
If we don ’ t change course , we may be headed for a catastrophic temperature rise of more than 3 degrees this century .
… Can anybody still deny that we are facing a dramatic emergency ?
That is why today I call on all leaders worldwide to declare a state of climate emergency in their countries until carbon neutrality is reached .
Some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recognizing the urgency and the stakes .
I urge all others to follow .
AMY GOODMAN : U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres , speaking Saturday at a virtual climate summit to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris climate accord .
Prior to the summit , the 17-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg released a video saying much more needs to be done to combat the climate crisis .
GRETA THUNBERG : My name is Greta Thunberg , and I ’ m inviting you to be a part of the solution .
Five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paris Agreement , and they promised to keep the global average temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius and to pursue 1.5 degrees to safeguard future living conditions .
Since then , a lot has happened , but the action needed is still nowhere in sight .
The gap between what we need to do and what is actually being done is widening by the minute .
We are still speeding in the wrong direction .
The five years following the Paris Agreement have been the five hottest years ever recorded .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has also emitted more than 200 gigatons of CO2 .
Commitments are being made , distant hypothetical targets are being set , and big speeches are being given .
Yet when it comes to the immediate action we need , we are still in a state of complete denial , as we waste our time creating new loopholes with empty words and creative accounting .
If you read through the current best available science , you realize that the climate and ecological crisis can not be solved without system change .
That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a fact .
The climate crisis is only a part of a bigger sustainability crisis .
For too long we have been distancing ourselves from nature , mistreating the planet , our only home , living as if there was no tomorrow .
At the current emission rate , our remaining CO2 budget for 1.5 degrees will be completely gone within seven years , long before we will even have a chance to deliver on our 2030 or 2050 targets .
But I ’ m telling you , there is hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been made aware .
We can not solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis , nor can we treat something like a crisis unless we understand the emergency .
So let ’ s make this our main priority .
Let ’ s unite and spread awareness .
Once we become aware , then we can act .
Then change will come .
This is the solution .
We are the hope .
We , the people .
AMY GOODMAN : Climate activist Greta Thunberg , speaking in a video she released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ summit to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris climate accord .
Greta turns 18 on January 3rd .
When we come back , who gets the vaccine ?
As the first shipments of the federally approved COVID-19 vaccine arrive today across the United States , we ’ ll speak with longtime doctor and antiracism activist Dr. Camara Phyllis Jones about why communities of color with high COVID-19 death rates should be given priority access to the vaccine .
Stay with us .

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who launched the global Fridays for Future youth climate movement, issued a stark warning on the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement that the world is not doing enough to keep global heating below 2 degrees Celsius — the target set in the landmark 2015 deal. “The gap between what we need to do and what is actually being done is widening by the minute. We are still speeding in the wrong direction,” Thunberg said in a video message posted on social media.
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has urged world leaders to declare a state of emergency over the climate crisis. His call came on Saturday during a virtual climate summit to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris climate accord.
SECRETARY–GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES: Five years after Paris, we are still not going in the right direction. Paris promised to limit temperature rise to as close as to 1.5 degrees as possible. But the commitments made in Paris were far from enough to get there, and even those commitments are not being met. Carbon dioxide levels are at record highs. Today we are 1.2 degrees hotter than before the Industrial Revolution. If we don’t change course, we may be headed for a catastrophic temperature rise of more than 3 degrees this century. … Can anybody still deny that we are facing a dramatic emergency? That is why today I call on all leaders worldwide to declare a state of climate emergency in their countries until carbon neutrality is reached. Some 38 countries have already done so, recognizing the urgency and the stakes. I urge all others to follow. Related Story News | Environment & Health Public Distrust in Science Made COVID Worse. It Will Also Harm Climate Policy. How will this winnowing of public trust in the scientific realm play out in ongoing efforts to tackle global warming? Truthout
AMY GOODMAN: U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, speaking Saturday at a virtual climate summit to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris climate accord. Prior to the summit, the 17-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg released a video saying much more needs to be done to combat the climate crisis.
GRETA THUNBERG: My name is Greta Thunberg, and I’m inviting you to be a part of the solution. Five years ago, world leaders signed the Paris Agreement, and they promised to keep the global average temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius and to pursue 1.5 degrees to safeguard future living conditions. Since then, a lot has happened, but the action needed is still nowhere in sight. The gap between what we need to do and what is actually being done is widening by the minute. We are still speeding in the wrong direction. The five years following the Paris Agreement have been the five hottest years ever recorded. And during that time, the world has also emitted more than 200 gigatons of CO2. Commitments are being made, distant hypothetical targets are being set, and big speeches are being given. Yet when it comes to the immediate action we need, we are still in a state of complete denial, as we waste our time creating new loopholes with empty words and creative accounting. If you read through the current best available science, you realize that the climate and ecological crisis cannot be solved without system change. That’s no longer an opinion; that’s a fact. The climate crisis is only a part of a bigger sustainability crisis. For too long we have been distancing ourselves from nature, mistreating the planet, our only home, living as if there was no tomorrow. At the current emission rate, our remaining CO2 budget for 1.5 degrees will be completely gone within seven years, long before we will even have a chance to deliver on our 2030 or 2050 targets. But I’m telling you, there is hope, because the people have not yet been made aware. We cannot solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis, nor can we treat something like a crisis unless we understand the emergency. So let’s make this our main priority. Let’s unite and spread awareness. Once we become aware, then we can act. Then change will come. This is the solution. We are the hope. We, the people.
AMY GOODMAN: Climate activist Greta Thunberg, speaking in a video she released ahead of Saturday’s virtual climate summit to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris climate accord. Greta turns 18 on January 3rd.
When we come back, who gets the vaccine? As the first shipments of the federally approved COVID-19 vaccine arrive today across the United States, we’ll speak with longtime doctor and antiracism activist Dr. Camara Phyllis Jones about why communities of color with high COVID-19 death rates should be given priority access to the vaccine. Stay with us.


truthout--2020-12-14--MI Capitol Closes Due to Threats of Violence Before Electoral College Vote

As electors within the Electoral College are set to officially vote on Monday to name Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the next president and vice president , respectively , of the United States , officials in Michigan have shut down the state capitol building and legislative offices out of “ credible threats ” of violence that have been made in recent days .
The state ’ s House of Representatives and Senate offices , as well as the capitol building , have been shuttered to the public , due to the unspecified threats .
Michigan ’ s 16 electors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capitol in order to cast their official ballots today in the Electoral College .
“ The decision was not made because of anticipated protests , but based on credible threats of violence , ” explained Amber McCann , a spokeswoman for Michigan Republican Senate majority leader Mike Shirkey .
While the nature and target of the threats have not been made public , the Michigan State Police said it was keeping an eye on social media , according to reporting from the Detroit Free Press .
On Sunday , Democratic state Rep. Kevin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment from a St. Clair Shores , Michigan , councilman , who wrote , “ So tomorrow is the Reichstag fire ?
” The comment references the burning of the German Reichstag building in 1933 , which was used by the Nazi Party at the time to falsely claim that Communists were planning a violent uprising , and later led to the Reichstag Fire Decree , which abolished constitutional protections for a number of Germans , leading to the consolidation of fascist rule .
“ It is a sad fact that the shameful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ democratic institutions and deny the clear will of the voters has undeniably created this dangerous , hostile atmosphere , ” tweeted Michigan ’ s Democratic House Minority Leader-elect Donna Lasinski .
President Donald Trump ’ s refusal to accept the election results , based on unsubstantiated claims of election fraud , has been backed by hundreds of Republican lawmakers across the country , including in Michigan , who have called for overturning the outcome of the presidential race altogether .
Those calls have inspired protesters , including members of the Proud Boys , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the weekend to protest the election ’ s outcome , to engage in violent actions , including the stabbing of four individuals after clashes with counterprotesters happened on Saturday .
( During the presidential debates earlier this year , Trump was asked to denounce the Proud Boys , but instead told them to “ stand back and stand by.
” ) Michigan has become familiar with far-right violence and threats in recent months .
In October , federal investigators announced they had thwarted a plot by militia members to kidnap Democratic Gov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to abduct her at her summer home , and to use explosive devices during the process in order to confuse police .
The participants had gone as far as surveilling Whitmer ’ s home multiple times .
This is not the first time this year that Michigan officials have had to shut down the capitol building due to threats of violence .
In May , the building was closed after protest groups on Facebook had posted messages calling for the lynching of Whitmer due to the state ’ s stay-at-home orders issued in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protester carried a fishing rod with a nude doll intended to represent Whitmer hanging by a noose attached at its end .

The 16 electors set to take part in the vote will receive an armed police escort to the capitol building.
As electors within the Electoral College are set to officially vote on Monday to name Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the next president and vice president, respectively, of the United States, officials in Michigan have shut down the state capitol building and legislative offices out of “credible threats” of violence that have been made in recent days.
The state’s House of Representatives and Senate offices, as well as the capitol building, have been shuttered to the public, due to the unspecified threats. Michigan’s 16 electors will receive an armed escort to the capitol in order to cast their official ballots today in the Electoral College.
“The decision was not made because of anticipated protests, but based on credible threats of violence,” explained Amber McCann, a spokeswoman for Michigan Republican Senate majority leader Mike Shirkey.
While the nature and target of the threats have not been made public, the Michigan State Police said it was keeping an eye on social media, according to reporting from the Detroit Free Press.
On Sunday, Democratic state Rep. Kevin Hertel tweeted a screenshot of a provocative comment from a St. Clair Shores, Michigan, councilman, who wrote, “So tomorrow is the Reichstag fire?”
The comment references the burning of the German Reichstag building in 1933, which was used by the Nazi Party at the time to falsely claim that Communists were planning a violent uprising, and later led to the Reichstag Fire Decree, which abolished constitutional protections for a number of Germans, leading to the consolidation of fascist rule.
“It is a sad fact that the shameful actions by certain Republicans to smear our democratic institutions and deny the clear will of the voters has undeniably created this dangerous, hostile atmosphere,” tweeted Michigan’s Democratic House Minority Leader-elect Donna Lasinski.
President Donald Trump’s refusal to accept the election results, based on unsubstantiated claims of election fraud, has been backed by hundreds of Republican lawmakers across the country, including in Michigan, who have called for overturning the outcome of the presidential race altogether.
Those calls have inspired protesters, including members of the Proud Boys, who gathered in Washington, D.C., over the weekend to protest the election’s outcome, to engage in violent actions, including the stabbing of four individuals after clashes with counterprotesters happened on Saturday. (During the presidential debates earlier this year, Trump was asked to denounce the Proud Boys, but instead told them to “stand back and stand by.”)
Michigan has become familiar with far-right violence and threats in recent months. In October, federal investigators announced they had thwarted a plot by militia members to kidnap Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The conspirators planned to abduct her at her summer home, and to use explosive devices during the process in order to confuse police. The participants had gone as far as surveilling Whitmer’s home multiple times.
This is not the first time this year that Michigan officials have had to shut down the capitol building due to threats of violence. In May, the building was closed after protest groups on Facebook had posted messages calling for the lynching of Whitmer due to the state’s stay-at-home orders issued in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
One protester carried a fishing rod with a nude doll intended to represent Whitmer hanging by a noose attached at its end.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-12-14--GOP Under Fire for Blocking Necessary Funds as COVID Vaccine Distribution Begins

As U.S. distribution of the newly approved Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine kicked off Sunday with the shipment of millions of doses to sites across the nation , Senate Republicans faced mounting outrage for continuing to block federal funds that crisis-ravaged states and localities desperately need to carry out an unparalleled mass inoculation effort .
Facing large budget shortfalls due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lack of relief from the deadlocked Congress , state and local governments will soon be tasked with executing a rapid vaccination campaign that will require large quantities of supplies as well as new clinics , additional workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which will cost money that states and localities fear they don ’ t have .
As the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday , “ State leaders say they are short billions of dollars in funding needed to successfully provide Covid-19 vaccinations to all Americans who want to be inoculated by health officials ’ June goal.
” “ The federal government is providing the vaccine , along with syringes , needles , face masks , and shields , ” the Journal noted .
But local officials are warning of a repeat of the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of protective equipment in the early months of the pandemic , a failure that resulted in a chaotic free-for-all as states scrambled to obtain necessary supplies .
Nevertheless , the Journal reported , “ officials in several states said they would spend whatever is needed to get residents vaccinated .
Some said that might force spending cuts in areas like education , unless Congress provides additional funding or the federal government reimburses a large chunk of their rollout costs.
” The Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) on Friday authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in motion an unprecedented and urgent campaign to distribute the vaccine as U.S. Covid-19 deaths approached 300,000 .
The FDA ’ s move , and the subsequent shipment of around three million doses of the vaccine to facilities across the nation , came as talks over a coronavirus relief package remained at a standstill , calling into question whether billions of dollars for vaccine distribution and additional relief to state and local governments will be approved before the end of the year .
“ If you want to know what a failed state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” David Dayen , executive editor of The American Prospect , tweeted Sunday .
“ The end of a tragic , crippling pandemic [ is ] in sight and Senate Republicans can ’ t get around to authorizing any money to complete the job.
” Dr. Leana Wen , former health commissioner for Baltimore and a professor at George Washington University , warned that states “ are running a marathon at sprint speed with very little support .
“ States are so stretched , ” Wen told the Journal .
“ It would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Warp Speed for development isn ’ t warp speed for distribution.
” Congressional Republicans have for months dismissed Democrats ’ calls for robust aid to state and local governments , and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) has made clear that he will not approve such relief without the inclusion of a sweeping liability shield for corporations — a proposal that consumer advocacy groups , labor unions , and progressive lawmakers have denounced as a “ get-out-of-jail-free card ” for large companies .
“ Imagine holding emergency aid hostage — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , first responders , people , funding to deliver a vaccine — to give corporations legal immunity .
But that has been the GOP position for eight months , ” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-N.Y. ) tweeted last week .
“ Senator McConnell : It is past time for the Senate to act.
” On Monday , a bipartisan group of lawmakers from both chambers of Congress is expected to unveil legislative text for a $ 908 billion relief proposal that has been in the works for weeks .
Politico reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected to be split into two pieces… One would be a $ 748 billion piece of coronavirus relief with less controversial items like schools and healthcare ; the other would marry $ 160 billion in money for local governments with a temporary liability shield.
” As it stands , the bipartisan proposal reportedly contains $ 16 billion in funding specifically for vaccine distribution , an amount that has been criticized as inadequate .
Dayen on Saturday called the proposed figure “ appalling.
” Lower Drug Prices Now , a progressive advocacy coalition , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t do much good if our communities don ’ t have the resources to distribute it .
We need lawmakers to come together and pass Covid relief if we want to beat this pandemic .
“ The Senate Majority leader blocked the HEROES Act , and ‘ hit pause ’ on Covid relief while he continued confirming judge after judge , ” the coalition said Sunday .
“ So many lives and businesses are at stake , we can ’ t wait any longer .
”

Mitch McConnell has made clear that he will not approve relief funds without a liability shield for corporations.
As U.S. distribution of the newly approved Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine kicked off Sunday with the shipment of millions of doses to sites across the nation, Senate Republicans faced mounting outrage for continuing to block federal funds that crisis-ravaged states and localities desperately need to carry out an unparalleled mass inoculation effort.
Facing large budget shortfalls due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lack of relief from the deadlocked Congress, state and local governments will soon be tasked with executing a rapid vaccination campaign that will require large quantities of supplies as well as new clinics, additional workers, and public outreach — all of which will cost money that states and localities fear they don’t have.
As the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, “State leaders say they are short billions of dollars in funding needed to successfully provide Covid-19 vaccinations to all Americans who want to be inoculated by health officials’ June goal.”
“The federal government is providing the vaccine, along with syringes, needles, face masks, and shields,” the Journal noted. But local officials are warning of a repeat of the Trump administration’s slow and inadequate rollout of protective equipment in the early months of the pandemic, a failure that resulted in a chaotic free-for-all as states scrambled to obtain necessary supplies.
Nevertheless, the Journal reported, “officials in several states said they would spend whatever is needed to get residents vaccinated. Some said that might force spending cuts in areas like education, unless Congress provides additional funding or the federal government reimburses a large chunk of their rollout costs.”
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for emergency use, setting in motion an unprecedented and urgent campaign to distribute the vaccine as U.S. Covid-19 deaths approached 300,000.
The FDA’s move, and the subsequent shipment of around three million doses of the vaccine to facilities across the nation, came as talks over a coronavirus relief package remained at a standstill, calling into question whether billions of dollars for vaccine distribution and additional relief to state and local governments will be approved before the end of the year.
“If you want to know what a failed state looks like, this is it,” David Dayen, executive editor of The American Prospect, tweeted Sunday. “The end of a tragic, crippling pandemic [is] in sight and Senate Republicans can’t get around to authorizing any money to complete the job.”
Dr. Leana Wen, former health commissioner for Baltimore and a professor at George Washington University, warned that states “are running a marathon at sprint speed with very little support.
“States are so stretched,” Wen told the Journal. “It would be a shame if all the effort on Warp Speed for development isn’t warp speed for distribution.”
Congressional Republicans have for months dismissed Democrats’ calls for robust aid to state and local governments, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has made clear that he will not approve such relief without the inclusion of a sweeping liability shield for corporations — a proposal that consumer advocacy groups, labor unions, and progressive lawmakers have denounced as a “get-out-of-jail-free card” for large companies.
“Imagine holding emergency aid hostage — help for the unemployed, small businesses, first responders, people, funding to deliver a vaccine — to give corporations legal immunity. But that has been the GOP position for eight months,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) tweeted last week. “Senator McConnell: It is past time for the Senate to act.”
On Monday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers from both chambers of Congress is expected to unveil legislative text for a $908 billion relief proposal that has been in the works for weeks. Politico reported late Sunday that “the deal is expected to be split into two pieces… One would be a $748 billion piece of coronavirus relief with less controversial items like schools and healthcare; the other would marry $160 billion in money for local governments with a temporary liability shield.”
As it stands, the bipartisan proposal reportedly contains $16 billion in funding specifically for vaccine distribution, an amount that has been criticized as inadequate. Dayen on Saturday called the proposed figure “appalling.”
$16 billion for vaccine distribution is appalling. It should be the main thing on this list, and go toward vaccine manufacturing, shipping, paying all state costs, hiring to administer and remind for 2nd dose, and paying people to take it https://t.co/aVjFKNJYcC — David Dayen (@ddayen) December 12, 2020
Lower Drug Prices Now, a progressive advocacy coalition, tweeted that “a Covid-19 vaccine doesn’t do much good if our communities don’t have the resources to distribute it. We need lawmakers to come together and pass Covid relief if we want to beat this pandemic.
“The Senate Majority leader blocked the HEROES Act, and ‘hit pause’ on Covid relief while he continued confirming judge after judge,” the coalition said Sunday. “So many lives and businesses are at stake, we can’t wait any longer.”
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.


truthout--2020-12-14--The Left Has Valid Criticisms of Biden’s Appointments But Centrists Won’t Listen

The incoming Biden administration ’ s spate of establishment-friendly appointments has been met with criticism , if not surprise , from left-leaning politicians , commentators and organizations .
As they challenge President-elect Joe Biden ’ s assignation of top roles to corporate allies , a predictable backlash has ensued , with liberal and center-right mouthpieces urging passivity and a disavowal of left ideas under the pretense of “ unity.
” The real party unity on display is the lockstep vilification of the left .
After the election , moderate Democrats reflexively blamed left-wing rhetoric and policy proposals for down-ballot losses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reflect on the party ’ s strategic failings .
Now , power ’ s apologists in the mainstream media are working to nullify critiques of Biden ’ s appointments .
It ’ s part of an effort to shore up consent for an administration that largely amounts to a perpetuation of the corporate oligarchy .
But the indefensible status quo , of course , counts many of the loudest voices among its defenders .
In one ham-fisted missive , The Washington Post editorial board decried the mere possibility that any less-than-fawning appraisal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be warranted .
The editors , declaring their intention to “ stand against a simplistic anti-business mentality , ” offered that Biden , already stocking his administration with emissaries of the tech industry and finance , should go further still .
Perhaps he could “ cast his net wider , beyond the Democratic-leaning parts of Wall Street and Silicon Valley , ” since “ [ l ] eaders in manufacturing , transportation and commerce often have the most informed perspective on how the ‘ real economy ’ operates.
” Given that the “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dominance , this is truer than they let on .
To substantiate their impression that there ’ s a “ push on the left wing of the Democratic Party to exclude some potential nominees because they have spent too much of their careers in for-profit businesses , ” the editors point to the Revolving Door Project ’ s report on multimillionaire executive Jeffrey Zients , a former director of Obama ’ s National Economic Council .
In The Washington Post ’ s disingenuous framing , it ’ s as though the Project is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worked a job .
Rather , director Jeff Hauser notes potential conflicts of interest that may arise in Zients ’ s upcoming role as COVID-19 response coordinator , especially due to his involvement in surprise medical billing .
Zients also boasts a history of deficit hawkishness , a cozy relationship with the owner of the predatory for-profit Kaplan University ( a scion of the same elite family that owned The Washington Post ) , and a recent position on the board of the insidious Facebook .
The New York Times similarly remarks : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can turn otherwise qualified White House candidates into pariahs for progressives.
” Deservedly so , if that experience was in outfits like investment giant BlackRock Capital , as in the case of Biden pick Brian Deese , a defender of financial deregulation and a fossil fuel greenwasher .
Some also might perceive an issue with moves like appointing a Facebook executive to an ethics oversight transition team , a former pharma lobbyist as a senior counselor , or a top oil money recipient as a climate liaison .
But be warned , financiers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ totalitarian blacklist , branded a “ bogeyman of the far left.
” This kind of portrayal is intended only to defang trenchant critiques .
Yet The Post editors , feigning ignorance , throw up their hands : “ We ’ re struggling to understand what ’ s wrong with pursuing worthy objectives in the most cost-effective manner.
” The intransigent and irrational left simply opposes efficiency and progress !
The Post then proceeds to roll out the lazy “ corporations create useful products and jobs ” canard .
Of course , the point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proffer a measured refutation of the left ’ s claims .
That would require substance .
It ’ s instead to push a line of facile pro-business ideology that isn ’ t far off from how the right insisted that Trump ’ s supposed business acumen would translate to effective governance .
Explicit aggrandizement of big business isn ’ t the only tack that ’ s been taken by establishment commentators .
In The New York Times , investment manager and Obama Treasury Department alum Steven Rattner warns against “ letting perfect be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chides progressives to “ check ideological purity at the door.
” Condescending and dismissive , he asserts that “ friendly fire ” is uncalled for , since , “ All committed Democrats agree that Black lives matter , that every American is entitled to good health care and that climate change represents our greatest existential threat.
” Even crediting this claim at face value , it ’ s a meaningless construction that presupposes that rhetorical advocacy should suffice .
How , exactly , will they go about acting on these stated principles ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ handwave away the details should tip us off to the likelihood that the details are not in his argument ’ s favor .
To Rattner ’ s last point : Biden has refused to ban fracking , and his incrementalist climate plan is catastrophically inadequate to the scale of the problem .
Any contestation that such facts might portend a failure to treat the crisis with due seriousness is , apparently , immaterial .
The left is attempting to mitigate the president-elect ’ s considerable deficiencies by influencing appointments .
Rattner has the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left ’ s “ dogma ” that is divorced from “ political reality ” and lacks “ sound analytical footing.
” Also lashing out with haughty indignation was inveterate war propagandist Max Boot , who sneered at the “ leftist groups ” launching an “ assault ” to “ torpedo ” the potential nomination of military-industrial insider Michèle Flournoy for secretary of defense .
The application of martial metaphors to the critics is ironic given that it ’ s Flournoy , along with secretary of state nominee Antony Blinken , who has profited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As glorified arms dealers and prominent jingoists of the foreign policy “ blob , ” they backed the criminal bombing of Libya and agitated for an interventionist posture that risks escalating global tensions to drum up support for more obscene payouts to the arms industry .
Boot heaped praise upon Flournoy ’ s qualifications and dismissed objections to her warmongering record from groups like CODEPINK .
( A Politico newsletter also characterizes CODEPINK ’ s “ vocal ” opposition to Flournoy as coming from the “ extreme left.
” The newsletter is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Grumman.
” ) Despite the enthusiasm of Boot and others , in the end , Flournoy didn ’ t get the nod .
But the defense industry was still right to rejoice at Biden ’ s election .
Biden trumpeted his final pick , retired Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III , as a win for diversity .
Austin is a Black man — who sits on the board of Raytheon .
We can see similar contrivances in the general lionization of the Biden team ’ s “ competence.
” Part of the process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wishes to install is to impress upon the public their expertise and “ credentials.
” Many proponents have praised the “ hypercompetence ” of these appointments as heralding a return to a dignified liberal order that can be safely ignored , trusted to hold the reins of the state apparatus and administer the empire .
Such an emphasis may prove particularly persuasive this year , with the flailing ineptitude of the Trump administration to serve as a foil .
But this tendency to revere credentials over conduct , this fetishization of “ competence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the obvious consideration : competence in what ?
Biden ’ s appointments have so far demonstrated their formidable prowess in expertly facilitating drone killings ( Avril Haines and Michael Morrell ) , skillfully turning the screws of the deportation machine ( Cecilia Muñoz ) and promulgating investor-friendly non-solutions to climate change ( John Kerry ) with consummate professionalism .
( Less professional , perhaps , is austerity advocate and faux-progressive think-tank head Neera Tanden . )
Far be it from the left to question such paragons of proficiency .
Thankfully , Biden ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an aura of “ dutiful competence ” and promise to “ make foreign policy boring again.
” We may assume that those who have had their families slaughtered by drone missile might choose many adjectives to describe the experience , but “ boring ” would not be among them .
This meritocratic charade conflates achievement with moral rectitude , valorizing the competent execution — sometimes literally , as many people in the Global South can attest — of abhorrent policies .
The administration is coalescing .
Time is running out to exert pressure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as they say , is policy .
We ’ re witnessing a full court press by establishment Democrats and elements of the media to lock in choices friendly to corporate power .
It appears that they ’ ll get their way ; although the appointments could have been worse , the actual left has been shut out nigh-completely .
Capital knows that it has an ally in Biden .
By various means , its interests are reflected in the corporate media .
Evidence notwithstanding , criticism of the president-elect and his cronies is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jilted ideologues .
The childish demands of an irritating , hectoring left , which the Democrats claim cost them so dearly in down-ballot races — “ ponies ” like , say , lifesaving health care — have been cast aside .
Sufficient surface-level representation has been secured .
The adults are back in the room , applying the balm of a comforting , paternalistic professionalism to the national psyche .
In their competent hands , it is soothingly intoned , we will return to normalcy .
Left unconsidered is that this normalcy might @ @ @ @

The incoming Biden administration’s spate of establishment-friendly appointments has been met with criticism, if not surprise, from left-leaning politicians, commentators and organizations. As they challenge President-elect Joe Biden’s assignation of top roles to corporate allies, a predictable backlash has ensued, with liberal and center-right mouthpieces urging passivity and a disavowal of left ideas under the pretense of “unity.”
The real party unity on display is the lockstep vilification of the left. After the election, moderate Democrats reflexively blamed left-wing rhetoric and policy proposals for down-ballot losses — against evidence, and while declining to reflect on the party’s strategic failings. Now, power’s apologists in the mainstream media are working to nullify critiques of Biden’s appointments. It’s part of an effort to shore up consent for an administration that largely amounts to a perpetuation of the corporate oligarchy. But the indefensible status quo, of course, counts many of the loudest voices among its defenders.
Running Cover
In one ham-fisted missive, The Washington Post editorial board decried the mere possibility that any less-than-fawning appraisal of Biden’s corporate appointments might be warranted. The editors, declaring their intention to “stand against a simplistic anti-business mentality,” offered that Biden, already stocking his administration with emissaries of the tech industry and finance, should go further still. Perhaps he could “cast his net wider, beyond the Democratic-leaning parts of Wall Street and Silicon Valley,” since “[l]eaders in manufacturing, transportation and commerce often have the most informed perspective on how the ‘real economy’ operates.” Given that the “real economy” is engineered for corporate dominance, this is truer than they let on.
To substantiate their impression that there’s a “push on the left wing of the Democratic Party to exclude some potential nominees because they have spent too much of their careers in for-profit businesses,” the editors point to the Revolving Door Project’s report on multimillionaire executive Jeffrey Zients, a former director of Obama’s National Economic Council.
In The Washington Post’s disingenuous framing, it’s as though the Project is insisting that Zients be disqualified for having worked a job. Rather, director Jeff Hauser notes potential conflicts of interest that may arise in Zients’s upcoming role as COVID-19 response coordinator, especially due to his involvement in surprise medical billing. Zients also boasts a history of deficit hawkishness, a cozy relationship with the owner of the predatory for-profit Kaplan University (a scion of the same elite family that owned The Washington Post), and a recent position on the board of the insidious Facebook.
The real party unity on display is the lockstep vilification of the left.
The New York Times similarly remarks: “Now, business and finance experience can turn otherwise qualified White House candidates into pariahs for progressives.” Deservedly so, if that experience was in outfits like investment giant BlackRock Capital, as in the case of Biden pick Brian Deese, a defender of financial deregulation and a fossil fuel greenwasher. Some also might perceive an issue with moves like appointing a Facebook executive to an ethics oversight transition team, a former pharma lobbyist as a senior counselor, or a top oil money recipient as a climate liaison. But be warned, financiers, lest you find yourself on the totalitarian blacklist, branded a “bogeyman of the far left.” This kind of portrayal is intended only to defang trenchant critiques.
Yet The Post editors, feigning ignorance, throw up their hands: “We’re struggling to understand what’s wrong with pursuing worthy objectives in the most cost-effective manner.” The intransigent and irrational left simply opposes efficiency and progress! The Post then proceeds to roll out the lazy “corporations create useful products and jobs” canard. Of course, the point of the editorial isn’t to proffer a measured refutation of the left’s claims. That would require substance. It’s instead to push a line of facile pro-business ideology that isn’t far off from how the right insisted that Trump’s supposed business acumen would translate to effective governance.
Explicit aggrandizement of big business isn’t the only tack that’s been taken by establishment commentators. In The New York Times, investment manager and Obama Treasury Department alum Steven Rattner warns against “letting perfect be the enemy of the good” and chides progressives to “check ideological purity at the door.” Condescending and dismissive, he asserts that “friendly fire” is uncalled for, since, “All committed Democrats agree that Black lives matter, that every American is entitled to good health care and that climate change represents our greatest existential threat.”
Even crediting this claim at face value, it’s a meaningless construction that presupposes that rhetorical advocacy should suffice. How, exactly, will they go about acting on these stated principles? That Rattner is so quick to blithely handwave away the details should tip us off to the likelihood that the details are not in his argument’s favor.
To Rattner’s last point: Biden has refused to ban fracking, and his incrementalist climate plan is catastrophically inadequate to the scale of the problem. Any contestation that such facts might portend a failure to treat the crisis with due seriousness is, apparently, immaterial. The left is attempting to mitigate the president-elect’s considerable deficiencies by influencing appointments. Rattner has the gall to insinuate that it is the left’s “dogma” that is divorced from “political reality” and lacks “sound analytical footing.”
Many proponents have praised these appointments as heralding a return to a dignified liberal order that can be safely ignored, trusted to hold the reins of the state apparatus and administer the empire.
Also lashing out with haughty indignation was inveterate war propagandist Max Boot, who sneered at the “leftist groups” launching an “assault” to “torpedo” the potential nomination of military-industrial insider Michèle Flournoy for secretary of defense. The application of martial metaphors to the critics is ironic given that it’s Flournoy, along with secretary of state nominee Antony Blinken, who has profited from private consulting for the defense industry. As glorified arms dealers and prominent jingoists of the foreign policy “blob,” they backed the criminal bombing of Libya and agitated for an interventionist posture that risks escalating global tensions to drum up support for more obscene payouts to the arms industry.
Boot heaped praise upon Flournoy’s qualifications and dismissed objections to her warmongering record from groups like CODEPINK. (A Politico newsletter also characterizes CODEPINK’s “vocal” opposition to Flournoy as coming from the “extreme left.” The newsletter is, naturally, “Presented by Northrop Grumman.”) Despite the enthusiasm of Boot and others, in the end, Flournoy didn’t get the nod. But the defense industry was still right to rejoice at Biden’s election. Biden trumpeted his final pick, retired Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, as a win for diversity. Austin is a Black man — who sits on the board of Raytheon.
Criminality With Competence
We can see similar contrivances in the general lionization of the Biden team’s “competence.” Part of the process of calcifying support for whatever lackeys Biden wishes to install is to impress upon the public their expertise and “credentials.” Many proponents have praised the “hypercompetence” of these appointments as heralding a return to a dignified liberal order that can be safely ignored, trusted to hold the reins of the state apparatus and administer the empire.
Such an emphasis may prove particularly persuasive this year, with the flailing ineptitude of the Trump administration to serve as a foil. But this tendency to revere credentials over conduct, this fetishization of “competence” for its own sake, obscures the obvious consideration: competence in what?
Biden’s appointments have so far demonstrated their formidable prowess in expertly facilitating drone killings (Avril Haines and Michael Morrell), skillfully turning the screws of the deportation machine (Cecilia Muñoz) and promulgating investor-friendly non-solutions to climate change (John Kerry) with consummate professionalism. (Less professional, perhaps, is austerity advocate and faux-progressive think-tank head Neera Tanden.) Far be it from the left to question such paragons of proficiency.
We’re witnessing a full court press by establishment Democrats and elements of the media to lock in choices friendly to corporate power.
Thankfully, Biden’s “sleepily reassuring” choices exude an aura of “dutiful competence” and promise to “make foreign policy boring again.” We may assume that those who have had their families slaughtered by drone missile might choose many adjectives to describe the experience, but “boring” would not be among them. This meritocratic charade conflates achievement with moral rectitude, valorizing the competent execution — sometimes literally, as many people in the Global South can attest — of abhorrent policies.
The administration is coalescing. Time is running out to exert pressure on personnel decisions — and personnel, as they say, is policy. We’re witnessing a full court press by establishment Democrats and elements of the media to lock in choices friendly to corporate power. It appears that they’ll get their way; although the appointments could have been worse, the actual left has been shut out nigh-completely.
Capital knows that it has an ally in Biden. By various means, its interests are reflected in the corporate media. Evidence notwithstanding, criticism of the president-elect and his cronies is deemed uncouth, the bitter cry of jilted ideologues. The childish demands of an irritating, hectoring left, which the Democrats claim cost them so dearly in down-ballot races — “ponies” like, say, lifesaving health care — have been cast aside.
Sufficient surface-level representation has been secured. The adults are back in the room, applying the balm of a comforting, paternalistic professionalism to the national psyche. In their competent hands, it is soothingly intoned, we will return to normalcy. Left unconsidered is that this normalcy might be utterly intolerable.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-12-14--The 126 GOP House Reps Who Tried to Overthrow Democracy Must Not Be Seated

Merriam-Webster defines the word “ treason ” as “ the offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance.
” There are 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who did just that in broad daylight last week .
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ’ s absurd attempt to overthrow the 2020 elections was flatly rejected on Friday night by the Supreme Court .
Coming hard after that court ’ s equally unequivocal dismissal of a Pennsylvania case seeking similar ends , you ’ d think this legal sideshow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In any event , Paxton ’ s doomed Supreme Court case seeking to undo the legally wrought will of the people was buttressed by Donald Trump himself , more than a dozen attorneys general , and those 126 Republican House members who offered amicus briefs to the case .
Many of the names of these democracy-despising Republican representatives are unknown outside of their own districts — Robert Aderholt of Alabama , Rick Crawford of Arkansas , Fred Keller of Pennsylvania — but there are more than a few doozies on the list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ late , joining Minority Whip Steve Scalise and Freedom Caucus leader Jim Jordan .
They represent the rancid cream of the GOP crop in that chamber , and one of their Democratic colleagues is having none of it .
Long-serving Rep. Bill Pascrell of New Jersey has requested that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refuse to seat the 126 Republican House members who jumped on the Paxton bandwagon and tried to overthrow a legal election .
“ Stated simply , the men and women who would act to tear the United States Government apart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress , ” argued Pascrell in a statement addressed to the House majority leadership .
“ These lawsuits seeking to obliterate public confidence in our democratic system by invalidating the clear results of the 2020 presidential election undoubtedly attack the text and spirit of the Constitution , which each Member swears to support and defend.
” “ Consequently , ” Pascrell ’ s statement concluded , “ I call on you to exercise the power of your offices to evaluate steps you can take to address these constitutional violations this Congress and , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 117th Congress any Members-elect seeking to make Donald Trump an unelected dictator.
” Pascrell ’ s legal basis for this request is Section Three of the 14th Amendment , often referred to as “ The Disqualification Clause ” : No Person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress , or elector of President and Vice-President , or hold any office , civil or military , under the United States , or under any State , who , having previously taken an oath , as a member of Congress , or as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or as a member of any State legislature , or as an executive or judicial officer of any State , to support the Constitution of the United States , shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same , or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof .
Seems fairly straightforward to me .
Yet at a moment when the nation ’ s electors are working to close the deal on the 2020 election even as threats against them are shutting down government buildings , it seems far-fetched to believe Speaker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time soon .
Beyond distributing the newly available COVID-19 vaccine , the job of government in the immediate moment is to hold things together until we pass the January 6 Electoral College certification and drag this rusted heap across the Inauguration Day finish line .
After that , the dragon will be gone from under the mountain , and all those Republicans who hitched their wagons to Trump ’ s scaly tail will be forced to stand alone , even when together , and explain themselves to a damaged , furious nation… and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should not seat them absent an apology for their reckless anti-democratic behavior .
Will Speaker Pelosi heed this call ?
Her office put out a “ Dear Colleague ” letter on Friday , which read in part : Is the speaker telling Representative Pascrell something with this fiery rhetoric , or merely offering a sop ?
Draw your own conclusions .
I find Pascrell ’ s complaint and argument entirely fitting and true , and I ’ m all but certain it will come to nothing .
The 117th Congress is set to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before the final Electoral College accounting and 20 days from now .
That is a narrow and damn busy window , and the speaker is notoriously averse to large , dramatic moves under any circumstances .
Yet I believe move , she must .
A Rubicon has been crossed in the politics of this nation , and there must be a reckoning .
This morning ’ s news is filled with images of boxed vaccines rolling out to a waiting world , with talking heads gushing about “ getting back to normal.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is no normal in those boxes .
Not after this year , and not after the last election .
If something like “ normal ” is ever to rise again , it can only come after the country opens itself up to an unsparing self-appraisal , and then commits to steps to shore up the broken places left behind in Trump ’ s wake .
Oh , right , and refuse to seat the Traitorous 126 , right down to the last Republican on the list .
The GOP has become an authoritarian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good government can make the difference between life and massive death .
We have already had the latter ; it is time for the former to have its day , and that day can not come without consequences for those who would afflict this nation with ham-fisted tyranny .
“ Treason doth never prosper , what ’ s the reason ?
” asked English poet John Harington .
“ For if it prosper , none dare call it treason.
” This treason must not be allowed to prosper , and those 126 servants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and proudly committed treason to serve his various shabby ends .
They have no business in the House of Representatives or in any office that serves the public they sold out on the cheap .
There must be a reckoning , and this must be a small yet vital part of it .

Merriam-Webster defines the word “treason” as “the offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance.” There are 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who did just that in broad daylight last week.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s absurd attempt to overthrow the 2020 elections was flatly rejected on Friday night by the Supreme Court. Coming hard after that court’s equally unequivocal dismissal of a Pennsylvania case seeking similar ends, you’d think this legal sideshow is over now, right? Nah.
In any event, Paxton’s doomed Supreme Court case seeking to undo the legally wrought will of the people was buttressed by Donald Trump himself, more than a dozen attorneys general, and those 126 Republican House members who offered amicus briefs to the case.
Many of the names of these democracy-despising Republican representatives are unknown outside of their own districts — Robert Aderholt of Alabama, Rick Crawford of Arkansas, Fred Keller of Pennsylvania — but there are more than a few doozies on the list. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy jumped in late, joining Minority Whip Steve Scalise and Freedom Caucus leader Jim Jordan. They represent the rancid cream of the GOP crop in that chamber, and one of their Democratic colleagues is having none of it.
Long-serving Rep. Bill Pascrell of New Jersey has requested that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refuse to seat the 126 Republican House members who jumped on the Paxton bandwagon and tried to overthrow a legal election.
“Stated simply, the men and women who would act to tear the United States Government apart cannot serve as Members of the Congress,” argued Pascrell in a statement addressed to the House majority leadership. “These lawsuits seeking to obliterate public confidence in our democratic system by invalidating the clear results of the 2020 presidential election undoubtedly attack the text and spirit of the Constitution, which each Member swears to support and defend.”
“Consequently,” Pascrell’s statement concluded, “I call on you to exercise the power of your offices to evaluate steps you can take to address these constitutional violations this Congress and, if possible, refuse to seat in the 117th Congress any Members-elect seeking to make Donald Trump an unelected dictator.”
Pascrell’s legal basis for this request is Section Three of the 14th Amendment, often referred to as “The Disqualification Clause”:
No Person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.
Seems fairly straightforward to me. Yet at a moment when the nation’s electors are working to close the deal on the 2020 election even as threats against them are shutting down government buildings, it seems far-fetched to believe Speaker Pelosi will run with this ball any time soon. Beyond distributing the newly available COVID-19 vaccine, the job of government in the immediate moment is to hold things together until we pass the January 6 Electoral College certification and drag this rusted heap across the Inauguration Day finish line.
After that, the dragon will be gone from under the mountain, and all those Republicans who hitched their wagons to Trump’s scaly tail will be forced to stand alone, even when together, and explain themselves to a damaged, furious nation… and I emphasize stand, because the House should not seat them absent an apology for their reckless anti-democratic behavior.
Will Speaker Pelosi heed this call? Her office put out a “Dear Colleague” letter on Friday, which read in part:
As the Pennsylvania Attorney General stated in a brief filed against this lawsuit, ‘The Court should not abide this seditious abuse of the judicial process, and should send a clear and unmistakable signal that such abuse must never be replicated.’ As Members of Congress, we take a solemn oath to support and defend the Constitution. Republicans are subverting the Constitution by their reckless and fruitless assault on our democracy which threatens to seriously erode public trust in our most sacred democratic institutions, and to set back our progress on the urgent challenges ahead. (Emphasis added)
Those 126 servants to Trump’s authoritarian binge vocally and proudly committed treason. They have no business in the House of Representatives.
Is the speaker telling Representative Pascrell something with this fiery rhetoric, or merely offering a sop? Draw your own conclusions. I find Pascrell’s complaint and argument entirely fitting and true, and I’m all but certain it will come to nothing. The 117th Congress is set to convene on January 3, three days before the final Electoral College accounting and 20 days from now. That is a narrow and damn busy window, and the speaker is notoriously averse to large, dramatic moves under any circumstances.
Yet I believe move, she must. A Rubicon has been crossed in the politics of this nation, and there must be a reckoning. This morning’s news is filled with images of boxed vaccines rolling out to a waiting world, with talking heads gushing about “getting back to normal.” All hail the vaccine, but there is no normal in those boxes. Not after this year, and not after the last election.
If something like “normal” is ever to rise again, it can only come after the country opens itself up to an unsparing self-appraisal, and then commits to steps to shore up the broken places left behind in Trump’s wake.
Oh, right, and refuse to seat the Traitorous 126, right down to the last Republican on the list. The GOP has become an authoritarian policy-free wrecking ball in a time when good government can make the difference between life and massive death. We have already had the latter; it is time for the former to have its day, and that day cannot come without consequences for those who would afflict this nation with ham-fisted tyranny.
“Treason doth never prosper, what’s the reason?” asked English poet John Harington. “For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
This treason must not be allowed to prosper, and those 126 servants to Trump’s authoritarian binge vocally and proudly committed treason to serve his various shabby ends. They have no business in the House of Representatives or in any office that serves the public they sold out on the cheap. There must be a reckoning, and this must be a small yet vital part of it.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.