Bullets, Blanks, and the Boston Globe

I’m going to address events in North Carolina politics in just a moment, but first, this:

“Democrats must choose: The elites or the working class – The Boston Globe

The results of the 2024 election have confirmed a reality that is too frequently denied by Democratic Party leaders and strategists: The American working class is angry — and for good reason.

They want to know why the very rich are getting much richer, and the CEOs of major corporations make almost 300 times more than their average employees, while weekly wages remain stagnant, and 60 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.

They want to know why corporate profits soar while companies shut down factories in America and move to low-wage countries.” And so on.

To which I respond (in the immortal words of Jeff Tiedrich), “Are you Fucking kidding me?”

The things that the Boston Globe believes the working class are so concerned about are practically platform issues from the goddamned Democrats: income inequality, wage stagnation, offshore manufacturing, job loss, corporate greed, price gouging and shrinkflation. All clearly stated party concerns, not to mention decaying infrastructure and (whispering) global climate change.

What elites are you talking about, Globe? The problem is, the Democratic Party is populated with the WRONG KIND of elite. The “elites” of the Democratic Party are there because they are well-educated (high school and above), often well-positioned liberals in government, academia, the sciences and so on, not to mention a lot of hard-working people (many of whom are in real danger from the coming pogroms) who honest-to-god believe in democracy, equality, and fair play. Their economic policies are honed to provide opportunities directly to workers, and to use the government to support the underprivileged and provide soft landings for people in distress. They are not now or ever waiting for benefits to “trickle down.” The Democrats, for all their failings, are fact-based.

But the “angry” American working class don’t care for that kind of elite. Instead, the
“working class” – roughly 50% of whom cannot read well enough to understand a medication label – has elected THEIR favorite brand of elite – the very fucking people who brought them income inequality and off-shore corporations. These are people who voted for the oligarchs and technocrats and all their sycophants. If this so-called working class (if, in fact, a “class” can be a coalition of racist ethnocentric thugs, pious pseudo-Christian nationalists, ignorantly or willfully neo-fascist cultists, Russophiles, hustlers and their handmaidens) are the people who brought you Donald Trump, I wouldn’t pay much attention to what they have to say about anything. They are a hateful minority who represent the very worst sort of citizens.

And the Boston Globe, to borrow from Jeff one more time, can “fuck right off.”

Closer to home, we dodged a few bullets, and at least one blank – so far. The blank is Mark Robinson, gubernatorial candidate and world-class MAGA (con man, hatemonger, porn king). Robinson may be eyeing a run for Congress in 2026. Good luck, buddy-o. Maybe your lawsuit against CNN will be tossed out of court by then, assuming your lawyers haven’t already bailed because they didn’t get paid . . .. Josh Stein will be our first Jewish governor, surviving the onslaught of antisemitic comments from opponent Robinson and winning by a mere 15% margin.

We elected Mo Green (not to be confused with Moe Greene from The Godfather, whose character was based on Bugsy Siegel) to Superintendent of Public Instruction. The bullet in that chamber was Michele Morrow, who home-schooled her own children because she believes that public schools are indoctrination centers. That was practically the least of her failings.

Finally, we elected Jeff Jackson as North Carolina Attorney General. His AR-toting adversary was the author of North Carolina’s famous bathroom bill, Dan Bishop, who said he intended to model his Attorney General role after that of Texas’s Ken Paxton. Paxton, you’ll recall, is a noted homophobe, insurrectionist, and currently under investigation by Federal prosecutors for securities fraud (charges for which he was suspended and impeached in Texas. The Texas Senate acquitted him, 16-14).

All that is pretty good, plus the stranglehold the Fascist Party has on the State Legislature is loosening – the House is no longer a super-majority. There may be a DINO or two in that mix, so we’re not out of the woods yet. Still, it does lend hope to the possibility that Governor Stein will be able to veto some the FP’s worst excesses.

A bigger concern is that what’s in store on the national stage may render moot the efforts by well-meaning authorities at the State level. What happens to “Public Instruction” when the Department of Education shuts down and the move to privatize schools becomes a feature of American education? What happens to the AG’s office when local and state law enforcement are co-opted by Federal Agents including ICE and the U.S. Military? All politics is local, until it’s not. For what it’s worth, we won’t have long to wait and see. Mussolini and Hitler consolidated their power and overthrew the existing political system in a matter of weeks. Closer to home in time and space, Duarte took full control of the formerly democratic Philippines in a mere six months. Whatever the “working class” asked for, they’re likely to see by summer of next year. Unless you have a U.S. passport, I suggest you don’t unpack. If you DO have a U.S. passport, get used to keeping it at hand.